Production Manager

Production Manager – Aerospace Manufacturing
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Salary: Competitive, depending on experience
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Industry: Aerospace Manufacturing
Department: Manufacturing / Operations
About the Role
Our client is a global aerospace manufacturer providing mission-critical equipment and solutions across the commercial and defence aerospace sectors.
Based at their Portsmouth facility, the business manufactures safety-critical aerospace products, including aircraft fuel systems and emergency flotation equipment, within a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
They are now looking for an experienced Production Manager to lead manufacturing operations, develop high-performing teams and drive improvements across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People (SQDCP).
The Role
This is a senior, hands-on operational leadership position where you will take responsibility for delivering production commitments while developing the systems, people and processes required to support future growth.
You will:
* Ensure production plans and customer commitments are achieved.
* Identify and address capacity constraints, material shortages and bottlenecks.
* Monitor production performance and implement recovery plans where required.
* Lead Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
* Improve manufacturing flow and reduce lead times and waste.
* Establish and maintain effective Daily Management Systems.
* Work closely with Engineering and Quality to improve processes and eliminate recurring issues.
* Improve Right First Time performance and reduce defects, rework and scrap.
* Provide visible leadership on Health, Safety and Environmental standards.
* Develop Production Leaders, Supervisors and Team Leaders.
* Build a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous improvement.
* Use operational data and SQDCP metrics to drive performance and decision-making.
About You
We are looking for an experienced manufacturing leader with a proven background in production operations and team management.
You will ideally have:
* Significant experience in a manufacturing leadership role.
* Experience managing production through Supervisors, Team Leaders or Production Leaders.
* A proven track record of improving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People performance.
* Strong knowledge of production planning, capacity management and manufacturing flow.
* Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement.
* Experience implementing Daily Management Systems and performance metrics.
* Strong knowledge of manufacturing quality systems and root-cause problem solving.
* A hands-on leadership style with the confidence to engage with both shop-floor teams and senior management.
Aerospace & Regulatory Experience
Experience within aerospace, defence or another highly regulated manufacturing environment would be highly advantageous.
Knowledge or experience of the following would be particularly beneficial:
* AS9100
* CAA / EASA Part 21
* CAA / EASA Part 145
What We're Looking For
We are looking for a Production Manager who can combine strong operational leadership with a continuous improvement mindset.
You will be comfortable taking ownership of short-term production challenges while also implementing long-term improvements to processes, systems and people.
If you have experience building high-performing manufacturing teams and delivering measurable improvements in production performance, we would like to hear from you.
Apply Now