Head of Design and Manufacturing

Fortress Recruit are now looking to recruit a Head of Design & Manufacturing on behalf of a highly respected engineering and research organisation based in Bedford.

Reporting directly to the CEO and sitting on the Senior Leadership Team, this is a rare opportunity to join a specialist engineering organisation undergoing significant investment, transformation and growth. The successful candidate will lead the Design, Manufacturing Engineering and Production functions, driving operational performance, capability development and continuous improvement across the business.

This role will play a key part in shaping the future of the organisation's manufacturing capability through the development of people, processes, technology and infrastructure.

Key responsibilities:

* Lead multidisciplinary teams across design, manufacturing engineering, inspection and production.

* Develop and deliver the Design & Manufacturing strategy aligned to business growth objectives.

* Drive transformational change across people, processes, facilities and technology.

* Ensure engineering design intent is translated effectively into manufacturing capability.

* Champion continuous improvement, operational excellence and the adoption of new technologies.

* Manage budgets, resources, capacity planning and investment programmes.

* Lead workforce development, succession planning and employee engagement initiatives.

* Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders.

To be considered for this role, you'll have:

* Senior leadership experience within aerospace, defence or advanced manufacturing environments.

* Proven success leading manufacturing, engineering or production teams.

* Experience delivering complex engineering programmes to cost, quality and schedule requirements.

* Strong understanding of manufacturing engineering processes, governance and quality standards.

* Demonstrable experience leading change, transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.

* Excellent stakeholder management and people leadership skills.

* Degree qualified in Engineering or equivalent industry experience.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a unique engineering organisation at an exciting stage of its growth journey. Significant investment is being made across facilities, equipment, infrastructure and people, providing the successful candidate with the platform to make a lasting impact on the future direction of the business.

This is a full-time, permanent role based onsite in Bedford. On offer is a salary of £75,000 - £80,000 plus an excellent benefits package.

Due to the nature of this role, this is a UKEO position requiring eligibility to obtain SC clearance (5 years' UK residency without requirement for sponsorship or visa).

To find out more and see a full job description, please click apply to send Becki a copy of your updated CV for review