Production Manager - Manufacturing Assembly

Unipart; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

Pension

Bonus

Life assurance

Employee assistance programme

Wellbeing support

Flexible benefits including cycle to工作

Job summary

Unipart Manufacturing in Coventry is seeking a hands-on Production Manager to lead shop-floor operations for a flagship electrification assembly project, blending high-volume production with complex injection moulding inputs.

You will drive lean manufacturing, safety, quality, and output, supervise production teams, and partner with Quality, Engineering, and Maintenance to meet demanding schedules. UK-driving licence required and strong leadership essential.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in high-volume manufacturing
• Experience applying Lean/CI methodologies (5S, Kaizen, Poke-Yoke, JIT)
• Strong ability to communicate, set directions, manage shift attendance and coach supervisors
• Technical experience with assembly lines, electrification inputs or injection moulding is desirable
• Minimum UK driving licence and relevant qualification or equivalent experience

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision and leadership to production teams, ensuring on-time output against schedules
• Manage rapid scale-up during growth phase, motivating and developing production colleagues
• Coach teams in lean manufacturing techniques and root-cause problem solving
• Maintain site Health, Safety, and Environmental standards and drive incident investigations
• Collaborate with Quality, Engineering, Toolroom, Maintenance, and Logistics to eliminate downtime and hit KPIs
• Shape processes and adapt to changing priorities as the project evolves

Skills

Leadership

Lean/Continuous Improvement

People management

Technical awareness

Driving licence

Education

HND/NVQ/ILM level

Job description

Production Manager - Manufacturing assembly with electrification and injection moulding inputs

Coventry

Up to £62,000, 33 days holiday (including bank holidays), pension, bonus, life assurance, employee assistance programme, wellbeing support, and flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme

About The Role

Unipart Manufacturing is launching a flagship, fast-paced manufacturing project in Coventry, combining high-volume electrification assembly with complex injection moulding inputs. Fully aligned with Unipart’s Sector and Growth Strategy and The Unipart Way Forward Plan, this critical project is scaling from zero to over 200 production colleagues within just four months. We are seeking a driven, hands-on Production Manager to lead shop-floor operations, embed Unipart Way lean processes, and direct production teams to achieve world-class levels of safety, quality, and output.

As part of your key responsibilities you’ll focus on:

• Production Leadership and Output - Provide direct supervision and leadership to production teams, ensuring on-time output against demanding production schedules
• Rapid Scale-Up and Team Engagement - Manage, motivate, and develop production colleagues through a rapid growth phase, leading shift briefings, return-to-work management, and capability building
• The Unipart Way and Continuous Improvement - Actively coach teams in lean manufacturing techniques, root-cause problem solving, and standard work to drive operational efficiency and zero-PPM quality standards
• Health, Safety, and Environment - Maintain total compliance with site Health and Safety, driving proactive accident investigations, risk assessments, and housekeeping standards
• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partner closely with Quality, Engineering, Toolroom, Maintenance, and Logistics to eliminate downtime, control production costs, and hit key site KPIs
• Change Management - This is a fast-paced, evolving project where your scope will grow alongside the initiative itself - while core deliverables are clear, flexibility is key - you’ll have the opportunity to shape processes, adapt to changing priorities, and directly influence the project's direction as it unfolds

About You

• Manufacturing Management Experience - Proven leadership track record in a demanding, high-volume manufacturing, automotive, or industrial production environment
• Lean and Continuous Improvement Mastery - Demonstrable experience applying Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement methodologies (e.g., 5S, Kaizen, Poke-Yoke, JIT)
• People Leadership - Strong ability to communicate, set clear directions, manage shift attendance/performance, and coach production supervisors or operators
• Technical and Operational Focus - Technical experience or familiarity with assembly lines, electrification inputs, or injection moulding is highly desirable.
• Qualifications - Minimum HND / NVQ / ILM Level qualification or equivalent demonstrable experience; Full UK Driving Licence

About Unipart

We are a supply chain performance improvement partner. We Design, Make, Move, and Improve components in our customers' supply chains, keeping their operations and assets moving and working better, for longer. Through our commitment to continuously driving operational efficiencies, we improve performance - saving time, cost, and carbon. Our ambition is to be the driving force behind efficient, resilient, and sustainable supply chains.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We believe that a great workplace is one where you can bring your whole self to work. Our recruitment process is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and based entirely on merit. We define merit through a combination of technical skills and the core behaviours that help our people thrive at Unipart. We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of background or circumstances. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity that exceeds our statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and subsequent legislation. Whether it’s your age, disability, neurodiversity, gender identity, family status, or any other characteristic that makes you ‘you’ - it is your talent and potential that we value most. Adjustments for you: We want you to perform at your best. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have specific accessibility needs at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know. We are here to support you.

You may have experience in or be interested in the following: manufacturing manager, operations manager, plant manager, production leader, site manager, factory manager, manufacturing operations manager, shift manager, works manager, production director