Production Manager

Bodycote; Hereford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Bodycote is seeking a Production Manager in Hereford to drive operational excellence on the shop floor, leading teams to meet safety, quality and cost targets. You will own daily production activities and KPIs, working closely with site leadership to ensure performance aligns with customer expectations.

You will lead lean initiatives, manage budgets, and act as a stand-in for the General Manager when required, guiding cultural and operational improvements across the site.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ departmental management experience.
• Proven production management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong supervisory and people-management background.
• Lean/Operational Excellence experience.
• Experience setting and maintaining production targets against budget.
• Strong customer awareness and commercial understanding.
• Transformational, adaptable leader with a proactive mindset.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational excellence across the shopfloor and deliver safety, quality, and cost targets.
• Own day-to-day production activities and lead management routines.
• Cover General Manager responsibilities when required and act as a transformational change leader.

Skills

Departmental management

Production management

People management

Lean / Operational Excellence

Budgeted production targets

Customer awareness

Transformational leadership

Job description

About Bodycote

At Bodycote, we’re more than the world’s leading provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services. We’re a people business at heart. Our commitment to innovation and sustainability shapes everything we do. With a global footprint and a culture built on collaboration, curiosity, and continuous improvement, we create an environment where you can grow, contribute, and make a meaningful impact. Sustainability is central to our future. We’re on an ambitious journey to reduce our environmental impact through advanced technologies, smarter processes, and ongoing innovation, with our teams around the world playing a key role in making that happen.

The Role

As Production Manager, you’ll drive operational excellence across the shopfloor, empowering teams to grow within their roles while delivering against business and customer expectations. You’ll take ownership of day-to-day production activities, ensuring performance, safety, quality, and cost targets are consistently achieved. Taking ownership of production operations, Health & Safety, customer KPIs, and budget performance, you’ll directly impact productivity, service delivery, and overall site performance.

Reporting directly to the General Manager, you will lead daily management routines, embed lean and operational excellence principles, and champion a culture of empowerment and accountability. You must be adaptable and confident in stepping in to cover General Manager responsibilities when required, acting as a transformational change leader during a key period of cultural and operational development.

Who We’re Looking For

Key essentials:

• 5+ years’ departmental management experience
• Proven Production Management experience
• Strong supervisory and people management background
• Lean / Operational Excellence experience
• Experience setting and maintaining production targets against budget
• Strong customer awareness and commercial understanding
• Transformational, adaptable leader with a proactive mindset

Location & Work Pattern

This role is based in Hereford with onsite expectations. Some travel may be required.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of characteristics protected by local law, including (where applicable) gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and ethnic origin. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment.