Manufacturing Operations Manager

Manufacturing Operations Manager
South Wales - Swansea
Manufacturing / Heavy Industry
£75,000 - 78,000 + Bonus + Benefits

An established and globally backed manufacturing business is looking to appoint a high-calibre Manufacturing Operations Manager to lead a critical front-end manufacturing operation within a complex, high-volume industrial environment.

This is not a traditional production management role. The successful candidate will operate as a General Manager for their business unit - owning performance across safety, quality, throughput, cost, people and continuous improvement while leading a sizeable manufacturing operation supplying long-term customer programmes.

The role sits within a senior leadership structure and offers genuine influence across operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and commercial performance.

The Opportunity
You will take responsibility for a major manufacturing value stream, overseeing the full front-end production process from raw material intake through primary processing before handover into finishing operations. Leading through a team of Production Managers, Shift Managers and Team Leaders, you will oversee an indirect workforce of approximately 70 employees within a unionised manufacturing environment. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring both strategic thinking and operational delivery.

The business has strong order books and long-term customer demand, however success in this role will come from your ability to:

- Drive operational performance daily
- Improve productivity and throughput
- Manage cost and labour performance
- Build strong supplier relationships
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives
- Develop leadership capability within the operation
- Create future-state operational improvements rather than simply managing day-to-day production

The successful candidate will be empowered to make decisions, challenge traditional thinking, and help shape the future direction of the operation.

Key Responsibilities
- Lead all operational activity across the assigned business unit
- Own daily Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost performance
- Manage and deliver operational KPIs and business unit P&L performance
- Lead, coach, and develop Production Managers and wider leadership teams
- Drive labour planning, resource allocation, and productivity improvements
- Identify bottlenecks, constraints, and capacity challenges
- Work cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Planning, Supply Chain and Customer teams
- Lead operational continuous improvement activity using Lean and CI methodologies
- Drive accountability, engagement, and performance culture across the shop floor
- Manage operational risk, supplier challenges, and changing production demands
- Support longer-term operational strategy and future growth planning

About You
We are looking for a proven manufacturing leader who combines strong operational control with commercial awareness and modern leadership capability. You will ideally come from a complex manufacturing, heavy engineering, metals, aerospace, automotive or industrial processing background.

Most importantly, you will be someone who:
- Has genuinely led large manufacturing operations
- Understands how to drive performance through people
- Can balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership
- Brings practical continuous improvement experience rather than textbook theory
- Builds relationships across all levels of a business
- Thrives in fast-paced production environments
- Has the credibility and presence to influence across departments

Experience Required
- Significant leadership experience within a manufacturing environment
- Experience leading large operational teams through subordinate managers
- Strong understanding of production, quality, HSE and cost management
- Experience within unionised environments is advantageous
- Proven continuous improvement and operational transformation experience
- Strong commercial and operational decision-making capability
- Lean / Six Sigma exposure beneficial

Why Apply?
This is an opportunity to join a well-invested manufacturing business with:
- Strong long-term order books
- Significant operational scale
- A collaborative leadership team
- Real autonomy and ownership
- Opportunities for progression within a larger international group
- The chance to make a genuine operational impact

The role would suit an ambitious manufacturing leader seeking a broader operational leadership position with significant visibility and influence.