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Manufacturing Operations Manager

Job Posted: a month ago

Salary: £ 75,000 - 78,000 / Annum
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Swansea

Expire in: 15 days

Job Description

Manufacturing Operations Manager 
South Wales - Swansea 
Manufacturing / Heavy Industry 
£75,000 - 78,000 + Bonus + Benefits 
 
An established and globally backed manufacturing business is looking to appoint a high-calibre Manufacturing Operations Manager to lead a critical front-end manufacturing operation within a complex, high-volume industrial environment. 
 
This is not a traditional production management role. The successful candidate will operate as a General Manager for their business unit - owning performance across safety, quality, throughput, cost, people and continuous improvement while leading a sizeable manufacturing operation supplying long-term customer programmes. 
 
The role sits within a senior leadership structure and offers genuine influence across operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and commercial performance. 
 
The Opportunity 
You will take responsibility for a major manufacturing value stream, overseeing the full front-end production process from raw material intake through primary processing before handover into finishing operations. Leading through a team of Production Managers, Shift Managers and Team Leaders, you will oversee an indirect workforce of approximately 70 employees within a unionised manufacturing environment. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring both strategic thinking and operational delivery. 
 
The business has strong order books and long-term customer demand, however success in this role will come from your ability to: 
 
- Drive operational performance daily 
- Improve productivity and throughput 
- Manage cost and labour performance 
- Build strong supplier relationships 
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives 
- Develop leadership capability within the operation 
- Create future-state operational improvements rather than simply managing day-to-day production 
 
The successful candidate will be empowered to make decisions, challenge traditional thinking, and help shape the future direction of the operation. 
 
Key Responsibilities 
- Lead all operational activity across the assigned business unit 
- Own daily Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost performance 
- Manage and deliver operational KPIs and business unit P&L performance 
- Lead, coach, and develop Production Managers and wider leadership teams 
- Drive labour planning, resource allocation, and productivity improvements 
- Identify bottlenecks, constraints, and capacity challenges 
- Work cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Planning, Supply Chain and Customer teams 
- Lead operational continuous improvement activity using Lean and CI methodologies 
- Drive accountability, engagement, and performance culture across the shop floor 
- Manage operational risk, supplier challenges, and changing production demands 
- Support longer-term operational strategy and future growth planning 
 
About You 
We are looking for a proven manufacturing leader who combines strong operational control with commercial awareness and modern leadership capability. You will ideally come from a complex manufacturing, heavy engineering, metals, aerospace, automotive or industrial processing background. 
 
Most importantly, you will be someone who: 
- Has genuinely led large manufacturing operations 
- Understands how to drive performance through people 
- Can balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership 
- Brings practical continuous improvement experience rather than textbook theory 
- Builds relationships across all levels of a business 
- Thrives in fast-paced production environments 
- Has the credibility and presence to influence across departments 
 
Experience Required 
- Significant leadership experience within a manufacturing environment 
- Experience leading large operational teams through subordinate managers 
- Strong understanding of production, quality, HSE and cost management 
- Experience within unionised environments is advantageous 
- Proven continuous improvement and operational transformation experience 
- Strong commercial and operational decision-making capability 
- Lean / Six Sigma exposure beneficial 
 
Why Apply? 
This is an opportunity to join a well-invested manufacturing business with: 
- Strong long-term order books 
- Significant operational scale 
- A collaborative leadership team 
- Real autonomy and ownership 
- Opportunities for progression within a larger international group 
- The chance to make a genuine operational impact 
 
The role would suit an ambitious manufacturing leader seeking a broader operational leadership position with significant visibility and influence

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