Production Manager

Butler Rose; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private health cover

25 days holiday (30 days after 12m)

Company Pension scheme

Life assurance cover

Personal development training

Job summary

Butler Rose is recruiting for a senior Production Manager on behalf of a well-established Plymouth-based manufacturing business. You will own the production operation, drive operational excellence, continuous improvement and overall business performance.

Reporting to the Operations Director, you will lead production and planning teams, deliver targets and ensure the function remains safe, efficient and profitable. This is a high-responsibility leadership role in a complex engineering environment.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience within manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, defence, automotive or other precision production environments.
• Proven track record of improving operational performance and delivering measurable business results.
• Experience leading production teams through periods of growth and change.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles and deployment.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capability.
• Ability to interpret operational data and convert insights into practical improvement initiatives.
• High levels of resilience, professionalism and leadership credibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of production operations across machining and assembly functions.
• Drive performance against key operational KPIs including productivity, quality, cost, delivery and safety.
• Manage and develop Production Team Leaders and Production Planning personnel.
• Ensure effective production planning and scheduling aligned to customer demand and business objectives.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing initiatives and continuous improvement activities across the operation.
• Improve operational performance through data-driven decision making and process optimisation.
• Oversee resource planning, capacity management and shop floor execution.
• Take ownership of departmental budgets, cost control, labour efficiency and operational expenditure.
• Support business growth through strategic planning, operational development and investment projects.
• Work closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and Commercial teams to maximise value stream performance.
• Champion a positive culture focused on safety, accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
• Lead organisational change and operational transformation programmes.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Problem-solving

Stakeholder management

Data interpretation

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Production Manager

Plymouth Excellent Salary + Outstanding Benefits Package

Butler Rose is delighted to be recruiting for an experienced Production Manager on behalf of a well-established and highly successful manufacturing business based in Plymouth.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for a proven manufacturing professional looking to take ownership of an important production operation and play a key role in driving operational excellence, continuous improvement, and business performance.

Reporting directly to the Operations Director, you will be responsible for leading production and planning teams, delivering operational targets, and ensuring the manufacturing function continues to evolve and perform at the highest level.

The Role

As Production Manager, you will have full accountability for the performance, capability, and continuous improvement of the manufacturing value stream. You will lead a skilled team within a complex engineering and manufacturing environment, ensuring the safe, efficient, and profitable delivery of production operations.

You will be instrumental in translating business strategy into operational execution, focusing on productivity, quality, delivery performance, employee engagement, and cost control.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of production operations across machining and assembly functions
• Drive performance against key operational KPIs including productivity, quality, cost, delivery and safety
• Manage and develop Production Team Leaders and Production Planning personnel
• Ensure effective production planning and scheduling aligned to customer demand and business objectives
• Lead Lean Manufacturing initiatives and continuous improvement activities across the operation
• Improve operational performance through data-driven decision making and process optimisation
• Oversee resource planning, capacity management and shop floor execution
• Take ownership of departmental budgets, cost control, labour efficiency and operational expenditure
• Support business growth through strategic planning, operational development and investment projects
• Work closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and Commercial teams to maximise value stream performance
• Champion a positive culture focused on safety, accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement
• Lead organisational change and operational transformation programmes

About You

We are seeking an experienced manufacturing leader who combines strong operational expertise with excellent people management skills.

You will be comfortable leading leaders, influencing stakeholders at all levels, and driving continuous improvement within a fast-paced production environment.

Essential Experience

• Significant leadership experience within manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, defence, automotive or other precision production environments
• Proven track record of improving operational performance and delivering measurable business results
• Experience leading production teams through periods of growth and change
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles and deployment
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capability
• Ability to interpret operational data and convert insights into practical improvement initiatives
• High levels of resilience, professionalism and leadership credibility

Desirable

• Degree, HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in Engineering or a related discipline
• ILM Level 5/7 or similar leadership qualification
• Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma certification
• Experience within regulated manufacturing environments such as ISO9001, AS9100, ISO14001 or ISO45001
• Advanced ERP and production planning system experience

What's on Offer?

• Up to £70,000 - DOE.
• Private health cover for the successful candidate, partner and any children.
• 25 days holiday rising to 30 days after 12 months
• Company Pension scheme: Basic: employee = 3.6% and Employer 4.5% = 8.1% / Advanced: employee = 6% and Employer 7.5% = 13.5%
• Life assurance cover - x2 salary on joining / x4 on joining the pension scheme (Basic) / x6 if maximum contribution (advanced) to the pension scheme.
• Free access to personal development training.

The successful candidate will work core hours of: Monday to Thursday 08:15am to 16:45pm & Friday's 08:15am to 13:30pm. Due to the senior nature of this position there will be occasions where the successful candidate will be required to work outside of these core working hours. The successful candidate will also be required to travel on occasion, possibly oversees, to visit suppliers, customers, attend training courses and / or exhibitions.

If you are an ambitious Production Manager looking for a challenging and rewarding leadership opportunity in Plymouth, we'd love to hear from you.

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Butler Rose is committed to equality in the workplace and is an equal opportunity employer.
Butler Rose Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.