Production Manager

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead daily operations at a well‑established manufacturing business in Dorset. The role focuses on delivering output, quality and schedule targets while driving continuous improvement across the plant.

Key responsibilities

• Lead daily production operations to meet output, quality and delivery schedules.
• Coordinate labour, materials, consumables and resources to maximise efficiency and utilisation.
• Manage and develop Team Leaders, Supervisors and production staff, including absence and overtime planning, performance reviews and training.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, Planning, Supply Chain and Maintenance to reduce scrap, rework and non‑conformances through root‑cause actions.
• Drive Lean initiatives such as 5S and TPM to improve right‑first‑time performance and operational flow.
• Ensure health, safety and compliance are embedded, supporting risk assessments, accident investigations and safe systems of work.

Required profile

• Proven experience in a production, manufacturing or operations leadership role.
• Formal qualification (HNC, HND or equivalent) in Manufacturing, Engineering or Operations Management – preferred but not essential.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing KPIs, operational performance management and production flow.
• Demonstrable people‑management capability, including coaching, skills development and competency record maintenance.
• Experience managing Health & Safety within a manufacturing environment.
• Track record of delivering productivity improvements.

Required skills

• Lean manufacturing
• 5S
• TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)
• Root‑cause analysis