Production Manager

Theo James Recruitment; Pickering; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Theo James Recruitment is helping a Pickering-based manufacturing business recruit a Production Manager to own day-to-day performance. You will lead production teams to meet schedules safely, efficiently and to quality standards, while collaborating across functions to resolve operational challenges.

You will drive Lean initiatives, develop Supervisors and Team Leaders, and monitor KPIs such as OEE, RFT and cost per unit to deliver continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Production Manager or similar leadership role within manufacturing.
• Strong leadership skills with experience developing Supervisors and Team Leaders.
• Hands-on approach with a focus on health and safety.
• Experience delivering against production plans and customer requirements.
• Good understanding of KPIs including OEE, RFT, scrap, yield and downtime.
• Experience implementing Lean and continuous improvement principles.
• Track record of reducing waste and driving efficiency improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day production activities and keep the plan on track.
• Promote a zero-harm safety culture and ensure safe systems of work.
• Manage customer schedules and shifting production priorities.
• Drive improvements in RFT, scrap, rework and process discipline.
• Improve OEE, downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Coach Supervisors and Team Leaders to meet performance targets.
• Lead Lean, Kaizen and continuous improvement activities.
• Review KPIs in Tier meetings and resolve issues quickly.
• Oversee labour, overtime, agency usage and costs.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance and Quality to solve issues.

Skills

Production leadership

Lean manufacturing

Health & safety

KPI management

OEE improvement

Team development

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Job Title: Production Manager

Location: Pickering, North Yorkshire

Salary: Competitive

The Company

We are recruiting on behalf of an established manufacturing business in Pickering that is looking to appoint an experienced Production Manager to take ownership of day-to-day manufacturing performance.

Job Description

As Production Manager, you will take responsibility for delivering the production plan safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards.

You’ll provide visible leadership across the manufacturing operation, ensuring customer schedules are achieved while maintaining control of safety, quality, cost, delivery and people performance.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading day-to-day production activities and ensuring the production plan remains on track.
• Promoting a strong zero-harm safety culture, leading safety conversations and ensuring safe systems of work are consistently followed.
• Ensuring customer schedules and changing production priorities are effectively managed.
• Driving improvements in Right First Time (RFT), scrap, rework and overall process discipline.
• Improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Coaching and developing Supervisors and Team Leaders, setting clear expectations and effectively managing performance.
• Leading Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen and continuous improvement activity to eliminate waste and standardise best practice.
• Leading Tier meetings, reviewing operational KPIs and ensuring issues are escalated and resolved quickly.
• Managing labour requirements, overtime, agency usage, material utilisation and departmental costs.
• Working cross-functionally with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, HSE and other departments to overcome operational challenges.
• Taking ownership of key manufacturing KPIs including safety, RFT, scrap, yield, OEE, labour efficiency, schedule adherence, downtime, productivity and cost per unit.

Skills Required

We are looking for an experienced production/manufacturing leader who can combine strong people management with a clear focus on operational performance.

You will ideally demonstrate:

• Proven experience in a Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager or similar operational leadership role within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing Supervisors, Team Leaders and production teams.
• A visible, hands-on approach to leadership and a strong commitment to health and safety.
• Experience delivering against production plans and customer requirements in a demanding manufacturing environment.
• Good understanding of manufacturing KPIs including OEE, RFT, scrap, yield, downtime, labour efficiency and productivity.
• Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement principles.
• A track record of reducing waste, improving efficiency and delivering measurable operational improvements.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to take on a highly influential production leadership role where you can have a direct impact on people, processes and overall manufacturing performance.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Take ownership of a key manufacturing operation and its performance.
• Lead and develop teams while building a strong culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Drive tangible improvements across safety, quality, delivery, cost and productivity.
• Work collaboratively with senior stakeholders and multiple functions across the business.
• Lead Lean and continuous improvement initiatives with measurable results.
• Join an established manufacturing environment where strong operational leadership can make a real difference