Production Engineering Team Leader

Job Description: Production Team Leader (PTL) Opportunity Overview

We are recruiting for a Production Team Leader (PTL) with the ambition, capability, and hunger to grow into the Business Unit Leader (BUL) role within 1 2 years. This is an excellent opportunity for a driven individual who wants to progress into senior management in a fast-paced, engineering-led manufacturing environment.

About the Role

The PTL will ensure that the team achieves daily customer requirements in Quality, Delivery, and Cost, while driving continuous improvement and maintaining a safe and efficient operation.

This person will focus on sustaining and improving Lean manufacturing practices particularly flow and pull systems by coaching and supporting Cell Leaders and team members. The PTL will be a hands-on leader, fostering positive behaviours, addressing poor performance constructively, and developing a culture of problem-solving, creativity, and continuous improvement.

Key Growth Expectation

Career Progression Goal: Evolve into the Business Unit Leader (BUL) position within 1 2 years.

Starting Salary: Up to £50,000, with clear growth potential within the first and second years, tied to leadership development and business impact.

Core Responsibilities Leadership & People Development

• Coach and mentor Cell Leaders and team members to achieve consistent high performance.
• Foster a positive, accountable, and improvement-driven team culture.
• Address poor performance, absenteeism, and morale issues constructively and promptly.
• Lead daily QDC (Quality, Delivery, Cost) team huddles and maintain performance boards.
• Coordinate cross-training and ensure an up-to-date Training Matrix.
• Be a visible leader on the shop floor, motivating and guiding the team during Gemba walks.

Operational Excellence

• Uphold Lean principles, including standard work, one-piece flow, and visual management.
• Ensure real-time documentation (scrap sheets, FTT, production targets) is accurate and up to date.
• Drive continuous improvement (CI), Kaizen, and 5S initiatives.
• Maintain manufacturing systems and ensure all documentation and labelling align with current standards.
• Support the BUL in administering company policies and achieving performance targets.

Engineering & Process Improvement

• Strengthen our mechanical engineering and problem-solving capabilities, especially in:
- Sheet metal cutting and forming
- Tooling design and optimisation
- Turning and assembly processes
• Lead Gemba walks to identify and act on opportunities for safety, quality, delivery, and productivity improvements.
• Support flow cell setup, kanban systems, TPM, SMED, and visual management across the unit.

Administration & Systems

• Ensure accurate and timely Sage/MRP transactions (back-flushing, scrap, rework).
• Manage shift handovers, start-ups, and staff allocations effectively.
• Collaborate with the BUL to maintain correct TAKT times, staffing levels, and standard work splits.

Minimum Requirements / Qualifications

• Strong mechanical engineering background with hands-on capability.
• Proven experience in manufacturing, fabrication, and production assembly.
• Sound knowledge of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methods.
• Proficiency in MRP/ERP systems (Sage experience an advantage).
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills both verbal and written.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate, support, and develop teams.

Company Values

We expect all team members and especially our leaders to live our values daily:

• Customer First Always prioritise the customer, both external and internal.
• Dependable Do what you say you will; follow through with excellence.
• Courageous Be brave, take initiative, and act decisively when needed.
• Positive Bring energy and a can-do attitude to every challenge.
• Problem Solver Strive to deliver better engineered solutions for our customers.

Summary

This is a strategic development role designed for a high-potential leader ready to step into senior management within a short timeframe. If you have strong mechanical engineering knowledge, a passion for Lean manufacturing, and the leadership energy to inspire teams and drive improvement we want to hear from you.