Manufacturing Manager

We are recruiting on behalf of a well-established furniture manufacturer seeking an experienced and driven Manufacturing Manager to lead its production facility. This is a key leadership position responsible for delivering operational excellence, driving continuous improvement, and developing high-performing teams within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

The successful candidate will have a passion for lean manufacturing, a proven ability to improve productivity and quality, and a strong track record of leading people through change. This role is ideal for someone who thrives on creating efficient, safe, and high-performing manufacturing operations.

Roles & Responsibilities

Lead all day-to-day manufacturing operations, ensuring production targets are achieved safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards.
Develop and implement strategic initiatives to improve productivity, reduce waste, and optimise manufacturing processes.
Drive a culture of continuous improvement using Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.
Manage, coach, and develop production managers, supervisors, and manufacturing teams, fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and high performance.
Analyse production data and KPIs to identify trends, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities.
Ensure effective production planning and resource utilisation to meet customer demand and delivery schedules.
Work closely with engineering, quality, maintenance, procurement, and supply chain teams to improve operational performance.
Champion health, safety, environmental, and quality standards, ensuring full compliance with company policies and statutory regulations.
Lead root cause analysis and implement sustainable corrective actions for operational issues.
Manage departmental budgets and identify opportunities to reduce operational costs without compromising quality or safety.
Support new product introductions and manufacturing process development where required.
Essential Requirements

Significant leadership experience within a manufacturing management role, ideally within the furniture, woodworking, cabinetry, joinery, or related manufacturing sector.
Certified Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt (Black Belt preferred).
Demonstrable success in delivering measurable process improvements, cost savings, waste reduction, and productivity gains.
Strong experience implementing Lean Manufacturing tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, SMED, and Visual Management.
Excellent people management skills with a proven ability to lead, motivate, coach, and develop large manufacturing teams.
Experience managing change and embedding a continuous improvement culture.
Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance operational performance against business objectives.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decision making.
Experience managing KPIs including OEE, labour efficiency, quality, waste, delivery performance, and downtime.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across all levels of the organisation