Workshop / Production Manager

Overview

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Own daily production planning and scheduling across all cells — machining, sheet metal, 3D printing, scanning, and assembly — to hit delivery dates.
• Lead, coach, and manage shop-floor staff: assign work, set priorities, manage workload, and develop skills.
• Drive on-time delivery, quality, and throughput; track and report key metrics (utilization, OTD, scrap, rework, WIP).
• Balance capacity against the order book; flag bottlenecks early and re-plan to keep jobs moving.
• Own job costing and shop-floor profitability: monitor estimated vs. actual hours and material usage.
• Manage materials, consumables, tooling, and spares — purchasing, stock levels, and supplier coordination.
• Maintain and improve workshop processes, layout, and workflow using lean / 5S principles.
• Own health, safety, and compliance on the floor: risk assessments, machine safety, PPE, and housekeeping.
• Plan and oversee preventive maintenance and calibration of machines and equipment.
• Liaise with design, sales, and customers on lead times, feasibility, and progress.
• Drive continuous improvement — reduce setup times, scrap, and idle time; raise first-time-right quality.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in a manufacturing / machine-shop environment, with 2+ years leading or supervising a team.
• Strong working knowledge of CNC machining and/or sheet metal fabrication and general workshop processes.
• Proven track record of hitting delivery dates and improving throughput and quality.
• Confident with production planning, scheduling, and capacity management.
• Able to read engineering drawings and understand GD&T, tolerances, and manufacturing methods.
• Solid understanding of shop-floor health & safety and machine-safety requirements.
• Strong people-management, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable with job costing and reporting against budgeted hours and materials.
• Clear written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing a mixed / job-shop environment with low-volume, high-mix work.
• Familiarity with additive manufacturing (FDM/SLA/SLS/PolyJet) and 3D scanning workflows.
• Hands-on experience with Fusion 360 or other CAD/CAM, and with ERP/MRP or job-tracking systems.
• Lean / Six Sigma, 5S, or continuous-improvement training or certification.
• Background in aerospace, automotive, or precision-engineering environments.
• Recognised health & safety qualification (e.g., IOSH / NEBOSH or local equivalent).