Production Manager

Jonathan Lee; Hereford; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Jonathan Lee has partnered with a firmly established family-owned hydraulic cylinder manufacturer in Hereford to recruit a Production Manager who will work with the Operations Director to lead all day-to-day manufacturing operations at the Hereford site.

You will drive safety, quality, and efficiency, bridge planning, production, engineering and supply chain, and mentor a motivated team while striving for continuous improvement and on-time delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a production or manufacturing management role within precision engineering or component manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of lean principles, workflow optimisation, and resource planning.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a production team, fostering accountability and engagement.
• Sound technical knowledge of hydraulic cylinder manufacturing processes, materials, and machining operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and develop the production team to achieve targets and maintain safety.
• Deliver the production plan on time, in full and to quality standards.
• Drive a right-first-time culture and reduce scrap and rework.
• Review production KPIs and drive improvements across the factory.

Skills

Lean principles

Lead production team

Continuous improvement

Data-driven decisions

Hydraulic cylinder manufacturing

Education

ILM L5 or similar

Engineering apprenticeship/HNC in Mechanical Engineering

IOSH Managing Safely

Six Sigma Green/Black Belt

Job description

Production Manager

In support of a firmly established family-owned hydraulic cylinder manufacturing company in Hereford, we are seeking a NEW Production Manager to work in partnership with the Operations Director, who will be responsible for leading all day-to-day manufacturing operations at our clients' site in Hereford.

The role ensures that products are manufactured safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards, while maintaining a motivated and skilled team. This position bridges planning, production, engineering, and supply chain to ensure flow, reliability, and on-time delivery in alignment with the company's objectives.

Specifically, your responsibilities will be:

Leadership & People

• Lead, motivate, and develop the production team to achieve operational targets and maintain a safe working environment.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Work closely with HR to manage attendance, performance, and training requirements.

Production Control

• Deliver the production plan on time, in full, and to the correct quality standards.
• Monitor production flow and capacity, identifying and resolving constraints proactively.
• Ensure efficient utilisation of labour and machinery to meet delivery and cost targets.
• Work with the resources team to balance capacity and demand, ensuring bottlenecks are managed effectively.

Quality & Process Improvement

• Drive a "right-first time" culture across all operations.
• Collaborate with the Quality and Engineering teams to reduce scrap, rework, and internal rejects.
• Ensure compliance with company and customer quality standards.
• Investigate process deviations and implement sustainable corrective actions.

Continuous Improvement & Data Management

• Support and lead continuous improvement activities (5S, waste reduction, standardisation, and OEE improvements).
• Review and report on production KPIs, ensuring data accuracy and integrity.
• Identify improvement opportunities to increase output, efficiency, and reliability.
• Collaborate with the Continuous Improvement team to embed lean principles throughout the factory

We expect your skill set to encompass a mix of knowledge, skills and behaviours that role model our clients' Vison and Values. Specifically, this role will need the following knowledge and skills:

• Proven experience in a production or manufacturing management role, ideally within precision engineering or component manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of lean principles, workflow optimisation, and resource planning.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a production team, fostering accountability and engagement.
• Sound technical knowledge of hydraulic cylinder manufacturing processes, materials, and machining operations.
• Demonstrates the company's values of honesty, fairness, strength, inquisitiveness, loyalty, and resilience.

Desired qualifications:

• ILM L5 or similar
• Engineering apprenticeship and/or HNC in Mechanical Engineering.
• IOSH qualification in Managing Safely.
• Formal Six Sigma qualifications (Green/Black belt).

This role is in support of an established, privately owned and modern manufacturing facility seeing continued growth and expansion.