Production Manager (CNC & Assembly)

DK Recruitment are looking for an experienced CNC and Assembly Production Manager who is experienced at full operational responsibility from performance, Quality, improvement, CI and Capability.

As leader and key member of the senior leadership team, the production manager will need to translate business strategy into operational execution, delivering measurable improvements in productivity, quality, cost performance, delivery reliability and employee engagement, while building long-term organisational capability.

The role requires visible leadership presence, sound operational judgement, and the ability to balance short-term delivery performance with medium- and long-term operational transformation.

The role of Production manager will include, the end-to-end operational performance of the manufacturing value stream, alongside the Production execution and production planning performance.

Leadership and development of Production Team Leaders and Production Planners and delivery of departmental contribution to business financial and operational objectives.

Being accountable for departmental financial performance, including cost control, budget adherence and contribution to profitable manufacture.

Deploy the operational strategy aligned to company priorities

Continuous improvement and operational maturity of manufacturing processes, including Safe, compliant and efficient execution of manufacturing activities

The role exercises significant autonomy in operational decision-making, capacity planning and resource deployment to achieve agreed business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Translate organisational strategy into operational plans, capacity requirements and measurable departmental objectives.
• Lead execution of manufacturing strategy in the manufacturing value stream.
• Align production planning, scheduling and shop-floor execution to achieve stable and predictable operational performance.
• Provide leadership input to business planning, demand forecasting and operational strategy deployment.

Operational Performance & Business Delivery

• Accountable for department performance against KPIs including productivity, delivery adherence, cost efficiency, quality performance and employee engagement.
• Ensure production plans are achievable, resource-balanced and effectively executed.
• Anticipate operational constraints and implement proactive mitigation strategies.
• Drive performance transparency through structured performance management and visual management systems.
• Ensure consistent execution of production schedules across all shifts.

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Manage the Production Planners, ensuring effective production scheduling aligned to customer demand, capacity and material availability.
• Establish robust planning processes that support delivery performance, inventory optimisation and operational stability.
• Ensure alignment between Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), capacity planning and shop-floor execution.
• Balance demand, workforce capability, machine capacity and material flow to optimise throughput and minimise disruption.
• Drive continuous improvement in planning accuracy, schedule adherence and production flow.
• Collaborate closely with Supply Chain and Planning functions to ensure material readiness and efficient workflow across the value stream.

Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement

Lead deployment and sustainability of Lean Manufacturing principles as the operating framework for the department.

Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) through systematic elimination of losses.

Champion improvement activities including:

SMED and flow optimisation

Standard work and operational discipline

Waste reduction and process stability

Data-led performance improvement

Embed continuous improvement behaviours in production and planning activities.

Collaborate with Engineering to optimise equipment reliability through preventative and autonomous maintenance practices.

Commercial Performance & Budget Management

Maintain strong commercial awareness of product manufacture, ensure parts are produced efficiently and profitably in line with business expectations.

Accountable for departmental cost performance, support achievement of operational budgets and financial targets.

Monitor and control manufacturing costs including labour efficiency, material utilisation, overtime, scrap, rework and overhead absorption.

Work collaboratively with Finance, Engineering and Commercial teams to understand product cost drivers and support cost reduction activity.

Ensure production decisions consider commercial impact, balance delivery performance with cost effectiveness and long-term business sustainability.

Identify opportunities to improve margin performance through productivity improvement, waste elimination and process optimisation.

Support quotation, industrialisation and new product introduction by providing operational and capacity input to ensure commercially viable manufacturing solutions.

Manage departmental expenditure responsibly, ensuring effective use of labour, equipment and consumables within agreed budgets.

Contribute to annual budgeting, forecasting and resource planning activities.

Promote a culture where operational teams understand the relationship between performance, cost and profitability, and act accordingly.

Leadership, Capability & Organisational Development

Provide strong, visible and values-led leadership within the production environment.

Lead, coach and develop Production Team Leaders and the Production Planner to build a high-performing operational leadership structure.

Clearly define expectations, accountabilities and standard work for leadership teams.

Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, performance reviews and development discussions.

Support Team Leaders in:

Improving team engagement

Developing high-performing, agile, cross-skilled teams

Succession planning, talent development, training and skills development

Addressing performance issues promptly and constructively.

Promote open two-way communication through daily roadblock meetings, toolbox talks and team briefings.

Recognise achievement and reinforce positive performance behaviours. Lead organisational change initiatives supporting operational transformation.

Health, Safety, Quality & Compliance Leadership

Act as a senior leader in promoting a proactive safety culture.

Ensure compliance with health, safety, environmental and quality management systems.

Maintain operational discipline and consistency across planning and production execution.
Cross-Functional & Stakeholder

Leadership

Work collaboratively with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and Commercial functions to optimise end-to-end value stream performance.

Influence cross-functional decision making to remove constraints and improve operational flow.

Contribute to Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), capacity planning and demand review processes.

Represent manufacturing during audits, customer visits and leadership reviews.

Project & Change Leadership

Lead strategic improvement activity, capital investment implementation and operational transformation projects.

Ensure measurable benefits realisation from improvement activities.

Person Specification

Essential

Extensive operational leadership experience within engineering, manufacturing or precision production environments.

Demonstrated accountability for operational performance and delivery of measurable business results.

Proven experience leading leaders and developing high-performing teams.

Strong practical and theoretical understanding of Lean Manufacturing systems.

Able to interpret complex operational data and translate insight into performance improvement actions.

Strong influencing, communication and stakeholder leadership capability.

High levels of resilience, emotional intelligence and leadership credibility.

Desirable

Degree, HNC/HND or equivalent in Engineering or related discipline.

ILM Level 5/7 or equivalent leadership qualification.

Lean / Six Sigma certification or equivalent experience.

Experience operating in ISO9001, ISO 45001, ISO14001 or AS9100 environment.

Advanced ERP and data analytics capability.

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