Production Manager

PRODUCTION MANAGER We are seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead and develop a rapidly growing mechanical assembly operation in Greater Manchester. Our client is a long-established, privately owned international business operating within the switchgear and critical power infrastructure sector. The company supplies highly engineered products to some of the world's largest data centres, industrial facilities and power-generation environments. Following significant investment and substantial growth in recent years, the Manchester operation is entering an important phase of expansion. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping and scaling the manufacturing operation, taking ownership of production performance, people, quality, delivery, productivity and continuous improvement. This is a highly visible leadership position for an individual who enjoys being close to the operation, solving problems at source and delivering measurable improvements.

THE ROLE As Production Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day performance of the mechanical assembly operation. You will lead production through a period of continued growth, ensuring that the operation has the people, processes, capacity and performance disciplines required to meet increasing customer demand. Your focus will include:

• Delivering production safely, on time and to specification.
• Increasing throughput, capacity and labour productivity.
• Optimising production flow, factory layout and assembly processes.
• Improving schedule adherence and on-time delivery.
• Reducing WIP, bottlenecks, waste and manufacturing lead times.
• Embedding standardised work and robust assembly procedures.
• Driving right-first-time quality and reducing rework.
• Developing Team Leaders and building a high-performing production team.
• Establishing a strong culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Using meaningful KPIs and data to drive daily performance.

You will work closely with Planning, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Warehousing and Sales to ensure production remains aligned with customer requirements and business priorities. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead the daily mechanical assembly operation and production workforce.
• Translate production requirements into clear schedules, priorities and resource plans.
• Optimise labour allocation, capacity, overtime and production uptime.
• Ensure production targets are consistently achieved.
• Identify delivery risks early and implement effective recovery plans.
• Establish clear daily management and performance-review routines. Manufacturing Improvement
• Analyse the end-to-end production flow and remove constraints and bottlenecks.
• Improve workstation design, assembly sequencing and production-cell efficiency.
• Reduce WIP, waiting time, unnecessary movement and other sources of waste.
• Introduce and embed Lean, 5S, standard work and visual management principles.
• Lead structured continuous-improvement initiatives with measurable operational and financial outcomes.
• Improve manufacturing capacity without compromising quality or customer requirements. Quality
• Establish and maintain high standards of manufacturing quality.
• Drive a right-first-time culture throughout production.
• Ensure standardised build procedures are followed consistently.
• Work closely with Quality and Inspection teams to identify root causes and eliminate recurring defects.
• Reduce rework and improve overall product conformity. People & Culture
• Lead, coach and develop Team Leaders and production teams.
• Ensure appropriate training, competency development and upskilling.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen production leadership capability as the operation grows.
• Support workforce planning and recruitment as future capacity requirements develop. Safety & Cost
• Maintain a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with relevant health and safety requirements.
• Monitor production costs, labour utilisation and overtime.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs.
• Balance productivity and cost improvement with safety, quality and delivery.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE The successful candidate will be expected to deliver measurable improvements across areas including:

• On-time delivery
• Production output versus plan
• Schedule adherence
• Labour productivity
• Hours per unit
• Manufacturing lead time
• WIP reduction
• Capacity utilisation
• Right-first-time quality
• Rework and defect reduction
• Labour utilisation
• Continuous improvement and cost reduction
• Health and safety performance

The strongest candidates will be able to demonstrate previous examples of increasing output, improving delivery performance, reducing WIP or lead times, improving labour productivity and developing high-performing manufacturing teams.

THE PERSON We are looking for an experienced manufacturing leader with a strong track record of improving operational performance, rather than someone defined solely by their sector background. You are likely to have operated as a Manager in Production, Manufacturing, Operations or Assembly for a Factory or Plant.

Essential Experience

• Significant management experience within a manufacturing or assembly environment.
• Proven experience leading sizeable production teams, ideally 30–150+ employees.
• Strong background in mechanical assembly, engineered products or industrial manufacturing.
• Demonstrable success improving production output, productivity and operational performance.
• Strong practical understanding of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing production KPIs and implementing daily performance management.
• Proven ability to identify and eliminate bottlenecks and improve factory flow.
• Experience with ERP/MRP and production-planning systems.
• Strong people leadership and team-development capability.
• Sound understanding of manufacturing health and safety.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively across functions. Desirable Experience Experience in any of the following would be advantageous:
• Switchgear
• Electrical enclosures or cabinets
• Critical power infrastructure
• Data-centre infrastructure
• Industrial equipment
• Mechanical fabrication and assembly
• Modular or high-volume customised manufacturing
• Automotive, aerospace or rail manufacturing A degree in Engineering, Manufacturing or a related discipline is advantageous but is not essential where strong relevant experience can be demonstrated. Electrical qualifications are not required. WHY JOIN? This is an opportunity to join a business at a significant stage of its UK growth and to have genuine influence over the future shape of its manufacturing operation. You will have the opportunity to influence:
• Production flow and factory layout.
• Manufacturing processes and standards.
• Team structure and workforce development.
• Production KPIs and performance management.
• Continuous-improvement strategy.
• Manufacturing capacity and future expansion.
• Operational efficiency and cost performance. The role offers the opportunity to build, improve and scale a high-performance manufacturing operation supplying products into some of the world's most demanding critical infrastructure environments.