Senior Shift Leader – Career Path to Junior Project Manager

Formel D Group; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Formel D Group is seeking an experienced Senior Shift Leader in Wolverhampton to own day-to-day operations, drive safe and efficient performance, and act as the link between shop-floor activity, project management and the customer.

You will develop leadership capabilities toward Junior Project Manager responsibilities, working with Project Managers to plan resources, manage budgets, and report on KPIs while maintaining strong customer relationships.

Qualifications

• Experience in automotive/manufacturing, or a technical operations environment.
• Previous experience as a Shift Leader or equivalent.
• Proven ability to lead teams in a fast-paced setting.
• Strong understanding of quality, productivity and delivery KPIs.
• Excellent problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
• Good organisational and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate operational teams across the shift.
• Ensure daily production, quality, delivery and productivity targets are achieved.
• Manage Team Leaders and support development and performance.
• Allocate manpower in line with workload and customer priorities.
• Conduct shift start-up meetings and communicate priorities.
• Monitor KPIs including productivity, quality and safety.
• Escalate issues quickly and effectively.
• Ensure compliance with work instructions, quality standards and customer processes.
• Support root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement and shift reporting.

Skills

Shift Leadership

Operations Management

KPIs & Quality

People Management

Problem Solving

Communication

Microsoft Excel

Tools

Excel

Reporting Systems

Job description

Pay Rate: Highly advantageous

Formel D is looking for an experienced and driven Senior Shift Leader to join our growing operational team.

This is more than a shift leadership role. We are looking for someone who wants to build a long-term career within Formel D, with a defined development pathway towards becoming a Junior Project Manager (JPM).

The Role

As Senior Shift Leader, you will take ownership of day-to-day operational performance across your shift, ensuring our teams deliver safely, efficiently and consistently against customer requirements.

You will act as the key link between shop-floor operations, project management and the customer, while developing the commercial, quality and leadership capabilities required for future progression into project management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate operational teams across the shift.
• Ensure daily production, quality, delivery and productivity targets are achieved.
• Manage Team Leaders and support the development and performance of employees.
• Allocate manpower effectively in line with workload and customer priorities.
• Conduct shift start-up meetings and communicate operational priorities.
• Monitor KPIs including productivity, quality, safety, attendance and delivery performance.
• Escalate operational, technical and quality issues quickly and effectively.
• Ensure compliance with work instructions, quality standards, H&S requirements and customer processes.
• Support root-cause analysis and implementation of corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement, 5S and operational discipline.
• Maintain accurate shift reporting and handovers.
• Support workforce planning, training, competency management and employee development.
• Build strong relationships with customer representatives and internal Formel D stakeholders.
• Support the Project Manager with operational planning, reporting, resource management and project controls.
• Take increasing responsibility for project-level activities as part of the development pathway towards JPM.

What We Are Looking For

You will ideally have:

• Strong experience within an automotive, manufacturing, engineering, quality or technical operations environment.
• Previous experience as a Shift Leader, Senior Team Leader, Supervisor or equivalent.
• Proven experience managing operational teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of quality, productivity and delivery KPIs.
• The confidence to manage challenging operational situations and make decisions.
• Good problem-solving and root-cause analysis capability.
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Experience dealing directly with customers would be advantageous.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and reporting systems.
• A continuous-improvement mindset and the ambition to progress into project management.

This position is designed for candidates who want to progress beyond shift management.

Successful Senior Shift Leaders will be developed towards a Junior Project Manager position, gaining exposure to:

• Project planning and launch activities
• Financial and commercial awareness
• Budget and cost control
• KPI and performance management
• Resource and capacity planning
• Quality management
• Risk and escalation management
• Project reporting
• Operational strategy

You will work closely with experienced Formel D Project Managers and operational leaders, progressively taking ownership of wider project responsibilities.

Why Formel D?

Formel D operates globally across the automotive and mobility industries, supporting some of the world's leading manufacturers.

For the right person, this role offers the opportunity to move from operational leadership into project management, building the experience required to manage increasingly complex customer projects within Formel D.

If you are already capable of leading a shift but are ready for the next stage of your career, we want to hear from you.

RTW in the UK without restrictions (PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT OFFER SPONSORSHIPS)