SPS Manufacturing Team Leader in Bristol

As a Paint Shop Manufacturing Team Leader, you will oversee the daily operation of the paint shop while remaining hands-on throughout the shift. Leading by example, you will manage workflow, support operatives, and carry out high-quality paint repairs to ensure production, quality, and delivery targets are achieved safely and efficiently. You will promote a strong health and safety culture, ensure compliance with all procedures, and actively drive improvements in efficiency through effective data collection and analysis. Using production, quality, and performance data, you will make informed decisions, identify trends, and implement continuous improvement initiatives. This role requires clear communication, strong attention to detail, and the ability to perform under pressure to deliver business and production objectives.

Operations & Delivery

• Take full accountability for team safety, quality, cost, and delivery performance, ensuring daily targets are met.
• Set and maintain clear standards of behaviour, workmanship, PPE compliance, and housekeeping.
• Own team targets and KPI performance, ensuring team members understand their contribution to departmental and business goals.
• Actively manage downtime, recording root causes and providing clear commentary where targets are not achieved.
• Control and reduce consumable usage and costs within the paint shop.
• Track consumable usage, ensuring suitable stock levels within department and order additional stock when necessary.
• Lead by example with pride in the workplace, ensuring clean, safe, and organised work areas and correct tool control.

Team Leadership & Development

• Motivate and engage the team to achieve consistent high standards through effective leadership and communication.
• Act as the communication link between management and the team, cascading information positively and accurately.
• Lead daily start-of-shift meetings and toolbox talks, covering H&S, quality issues, production plans, KPIs, and resourcing.
• Manage skills matrices, allocate resources daily, identify gaps, and implement training and development plans.
• Carry out 1-2-1’s, grade reviews, return-to-work meetings, holiday approvals, and absence management in line with HR policies.
• Ensure all new starters receive a full induction and are trained and signed off to SOPs and safety requirements.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Be accountable for the quality output of the area, ensuring standards are understood, monitored, and maintained.
• Ensure all tooling and equipment is fit for purpose and daily checks are completed.
• Use structured problem solving and data analysis to address root causes and prevent reoccurrence.
• Work closely with Quality and CI teams to improve processes, SOPs, and risk assessments.

Health, Safety & COSHH

• Own and drive a strong health and safety culture, challenging unsafe behaviours and standards daily.
• Ensure full compliance with risk assessments, SOPs, COSHH requirements, and PPE usage.
• Manage accident reporting, investigations, and root cause analysis in collaboration with H&S.
• Ensure all equipment is PAT tested, certified, and correctly maintained.
• Maintain high housekeeping standards with designated, clearly controlled storage areas.

Hands-On Paint Shop Duties

• Perform paint touchups and cosmetic body repairs on vehicle panels.
• Complete filler, preparation, sanding, priming, basecoat, lacquer application, and polishing to required standards.
• Follow drying times, material usage guidelines, and SOPs to achieve high-quality finishes.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and organised work area at all times.

A confident and effective communicator, able to clearly explain expectations, procedures, and objectives to the team in a positive and professional manner. A strong, positive leader who leads by example, motivates others, and fosters a high-performance culture through teamwork, professionalism, and initiative. Proactive, reliable, and driven, with a strong desire to achieve high standards every day and address poor performance or quality issues effectively. Able to plan, prioritise, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously while working independently and as part of a wider team. Strong attention to detail, delivering work to a consistently high standard and encouraging the same from others. Good literacy, numeracy, and data-handling skills, with the ability to interpret performance data, complete reports, and record information accurately. Computer literate, with the ability to use Microsoft Office and relevant systems to support production, quality, and team management. Able to work collaboratively with other departments, providing support and contributing to wider business objectives. Willingness to learn, adapt, and take on new responsibilities as required. Experience in a similar manufacturing, paint shop, autobody repair, or spray environment. Adherence to all health and safety procedures.

We Pass It On With Pride

• Own targets, quality standards and workspace.
• Empowering team members to share knowledge and make better decisions.
• Encourage regular 1:1s to develop team and champion personal development.

We Look Ahead

• Proactively manage team to preempt skills gaps, absence issues or bottlenecks.
• Utilise data to drive process improvements to prevent reoccurring errors or issues.
• Foster open discussion to make improvements.

We Roll up our Sleeves

• Encourage teamwork to effectively manage workloads and achieve group targets.
• Encourage blue-sky thinking to resolve problems.
• Get involved in other areas to complete tasks.

We are One Community

• Effectively collaborating with other departments to achieve the best outcome for the issue.
• Adopt a positive work culture and high morale, in turn driving down absence and conflict issues.

Financial & Remuneration

• Competitive salaries (with entry-level hourly rates above the Real Living Wage).
• Enhanced Company Pension Scheme.
• Life Assurance Cover from day 1 of employment.
• Salary exchange Cycle to Work scheme.
• Financial support through salary advance and travel loan schemes.

Social & Culture

• Excellent holiday entitlement (25 days a year plus Bank Holidays) with additional entitlement for long service.
• Enhanced family friendly pay; Maternity pay (24 weeks full pay followed by 15 weeks statutory pay) / Paternity pay (2 weeks full pay).
• Longer weekends as a result of an early finish every Friday (role dependent & subject to business needs).
• Monthly recognition awards.
• 25% discount at our partner company PRI MA Leisure.

Health & Wellbeing

• Health cashback scheme.
• Corporate gym memberships.
• Bi-weekly free fruit Mondays.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• On-site Mental Health First Aiders.
• HRT treatment support.

Learning & Development

• Dedicated induction & onboarding.
• Career progression opportunities.
• Role-specific training.
• Opportunity to apply for Apprenticeship Levy support courses.

Bailey of Bristol is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of leisure vehicles, with a proud history of craftsmanship and innovation. Our Small Panel Shop is a key part of the manufacturing process, producing high-quality furniture components for our caravans, motorhomes, and campervans. We have been building Bailey leisure vehicles here in South Bristol since 1948 and are now very much part of the local community. The majority of our employees live nearby and have been with us for a long time, with the average length of service around 10 years. As a result, our workforce possesses the necessary skill and experience to successfully produce a complex range of caravans, motorhome and campervans in the same production facility. As a large business we have opportunities in many areas and can offer people wide and varied careers, all of which attract an excellent benefits package. We are continually reviewing our offering to ensure we remain an employer of choice in the local area.