Project Director

Green Folk; Exeter; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Green Folk, a major UK advanced manufacturing organisation, is recruiting a Project Director to drive a high‑stakes expansion at Exeter. You will lead the full lifecycle of a major operational programme, partnering with executive leadership to deliver improvements in automation, productivity and capability.

We’re seeking an experienced project leader with deep manufacturing expertise, capable of shaping a high‑performance engineering environment through strategic planning, cross‑functional

Qualifications

• 15+ years of manufacturing experience or equivalent.
• Experience in aerospace, metals, or complex manufacturing environments.
• Excellent analytical capability and understanding of manufacturing processes.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency with data-driven decision making and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full lifecycle of the expansion project for the Exeter site.
• Develop operational plans aligned with customer expectations, business goals, and KPIs.
• Lead automation initiatives and productivity improvements across functions.
• Oversee reporting cycles from daily to quarterly to ensure visibility of performance.
• Manage budgeting, variance analysis and corrective action planning to meet financial objectives.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Automation

Stakeholder management

Analytical capability

Microsoft Office

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Our is a major UK advanced manufacturing organisation that is undertaking a significant growth programme within its critical energy generation equipment division — and we’re hiring a Project Director to drive one of the most strategically important expansion projects in the business.

This is a senior, high‑impact role leading the full lifecycle of a major operational expansion programme, working closely with executive leadership and cross‑functional teams to deliver transformational improvements across automation, productivity, and manufacturing capability.

If you’re an experienced project leader with deep manufacturing expertise and a passion for operational excellence, this is a rare opportunity to shape the future of a high‑performance engineering environment.

What You’ll Lead

• Own and deliver the full expansion project for the critical energy generation equipment segment at the Exeter site.
• Develop operational plans aligned with customer expectations, business goals, and annual KPIs.
• Lead automation initiatives, departmental consolidation, and productivity improvements across multiple functions.
• Oversee daily–quarterly reporting to ensure visibility of operational performance.
• Drive improvements in labour utilisation, quality, throughput, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Manage complex manufacturing projects from concept through qualification and training.
• Meet financial objectives through effective budgeting, variance analysis, and corrective action planning.

Leadership

• Lead and mentor a project team, building a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Maintain strong relationships across engineering, manufacturing, commercial, scheduling, and quality teams.
• Ensure programme goals, scope, and deliverables are clearly defined and communicated.
• Track actions, risks, and progress, providing regular updates to stakeholders.
• Resolve cross‑functional disconnects and drive alignment across the organisation.
• Conduct programme reviews with internal and external stakeholders.

Skills needed

• Minimum 15 years’ experience in manufacturing, including operational leadership.
• Strong background in aerospace, metals, or complex manufacturing environments.
• Excellent analytical capability and deep understanding of manufacturing processes.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and team leadership skills.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office and data‑driven tools.

Preferred

• Demonstrated success driving automation and operational excellence.
• Experience working in matrix organisations.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead technical teams and influence at all levels.