Production Manager

Cell Leader / Production Supervisor

Location: Oxford
Salary: £40,000 - £50,000 + Benefits

The Opportunity

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced Cell Leader, Production Manager or Senior Production Supervisor to join a high-quality engineering and manufacturing environment. This role would suit someone who has progressed from a hands-on engineering or manufacturing background — ideally through an engineering apprenticeship — and is now confident leading skilled production teams.

You will be responsible for managing a team of around 20 highly skilled production staff, overseeing the manufacture of complex mechanical and electro-mechanical assemblies. Some assemblies consist of hundreds of individual parts and are assembled, inspected and tested by hand, so this role requires strong attention to detail, excellent people management skills and a sound understanding of precision manufacturing processes.

What's in it for You?

• Salary of £40,000 - £50,000
• Opportunity to lead a highly skilled production team
• Involvement in complex, high-quality engineering assemblies
• Stable, long-term career opportunity
• Varied role combining production leadership, people management and continuous improvement
• Supportive manufacturing environment with scope to develop team capability

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and support a team of approximately 20 skilled production employees.
• Plan, allocate and monitor work across the cell to ensure production priorities, output and quality targets are achieved.
• Oversee the manufacture of complex mechanical and electro-mechanical assemblies, including hand-built, inspected and tested products.
• Communicate daily priorities, performance expectations, KPIs and delivery targets to the team.
• Monitor productivity, investigate performance issues and implement action plans where required.
• Ensure work is completed in line with SOPs, work instructions, production documentation and quality requirements.
• Support the accurate completion of production records, logs and associated documentation.
• Manage employee performance, including setting expectations, conducting reviews and completing appraisals.
• Handle day-to-day people management responsibilities including absence management, return-to-work processes, holiday approvals and time/attendance processes.
• Manage employee relations matters professionally, including informal performance conversations, disciplinary processes and grievance matters where required.
• Develop team capability through coaching, training plans, skills matrices and on-the-job support.
• Ensure health and safety standards are maintained, including risk assessments, mandatory training and safe working practices.
• Support continuous improvement activity, including 5S and other manufacturing improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the cell has the right people, tools, equipment, materials and facilities in place to deliver production requirements.

About You

We are keen to speak with candidates who have experience as a Cell Leader, Production Supervisor, Senior Production Supervisor, Manufacturing Team Leader or Production Manager within an engineering or manufacturing environment.

You will ideally have started your career in a hands-on engineering role, such as an engineering apprenticeship, assembly, fitting, machining, mechanical build or similar, before moving into a leadership position.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience managing, supervising or leading production staff in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Strong people management capability, including performance management, reviews, appraisals and disciplinaries.
• Experience setting clear expectations and managing team performance against KPIs or production targets.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a busy production environment.
• Practical problem-solving skills and a hands-on approach to manufacturing challenges.
• Strong understanding of production processes, work instructions and quality standards.
• Confident communicator with the ability to lead daily team briefings and manage performance conversations.
• Experience developing, coaching and supporting team members.
• Good IT skills, ideally including experience with ERP, SAP or similar production/attendance systems.
• Comfortable working in an environment where complex assemblies are built, inspected and tested by hand.

Desirable Experience

• Engineering apprenticeship or similar hands-on technical background.
• HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in an engineering-related discipline.
• Experience working with complex mechanical or electro-mechanical assemblies.
• Background in precision assembly, fitting, machining, mechanical build or production operations.
• Management or leadership training.
• Experience using skills matrices, training plans and structured employee development tools.
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing, 5S or continuous improvement methods.

The Environment

This is a hands-on leadership role within a complex manufacturing setting. The team is responsible for producing high-quality assemblies that require accuracy, care and strong technical discipline. Some assemblies may involve around 300 individual components, with assembly, inspection and testing carried out manually.

The successful candidate will need to combine practical engineering understanding with strong leadership skills, ensuring the team delivers safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards.

Interested?
Apply today or contact Owen Gardner Talent for a confidential discussion about the role. All applications will be handled in strict confidence.