Head of Manufacturing in Barnoldswick

About BUOYANCY TECHNOLOGIES: Enabling the free world’s leading aerospace, space, and defense institutions. BUOYANCY TECHNOLOGIES was founded in 2022 to meet the rising demand for solutions in aerospace, space, and defense—markets underserved by a dysfunctional supply chain. We attract the most capable talent with integrity and build and leverage generative AI for digital and physical solutions. We are proud to contribute significantly to the most prestigious and complex aerospace, space, and defense platforms—some under confidential mandates.

We are not a company of promises. With active production facilities in the UK and Germany and a growing workforce of currently >150 employees, we are scaling rapidly, but already delivering to our customers. Our culture is highly purpose-driven, constantly delivering innovation, exceptional standards, execution. This is a high-performance environment. If you seek meaningful work at the intersection of technology and defense, this is the place for you. Those looking for the comfort of a standard role are discouraged from applying.

The Role: The Head of Manufacturing is responsible for leading the operational execution of the manufacturing business, ensuring safe, disciplined, and efficient delivery across production, labour deployment, scheduling, shopfloor control, customer recovery, and site performance. The role owns the operational management system that converts plans into output, with clear responsibility for delivery outcomes, escalation, and recovery. The role will be responsible for leading and running the day-to-day across all core UK operational departments at our Barnoldswick site including Milling & Turning, Surface Treatments, Assembly, Warehouse, Engineering, Planning, and Logistics, to deliver 100% On-Time, In-Full (OTIF) performance while meeting world-class standards in safety, quality, and cost. This is an executive operations role with a clear pathway to broader COO-style responsibility as the business scales.

Key Responsibilities:

• Site ownership: Site leadership and execution, managing engineering, planning and manufacturing while liaising with quality and compliance.
• Lead the operational execution of the manufacturing business and ensure output is delivered safely, efficiently, and in line with customer commitments.
• Own the daily and weekly management operating rhythm including production review, escalation control, recovery actions, and leadership accountability.
• Maintain clear visibility of factory status and ensure prompt response to labour, machine, material, quality, or planning issues.
• Delivery control and schedule execution: Execute the production schedule in line with agreed priorities, available capacity, and customer demand, protecting both customer performance and internal flow.
• Work closely with planning, quality, engineering, and supply chain teams to remove short-term constraints affecting output and stabilise delivery performance.
• Accountable for delivery performance against plan, including ownership of recovery actions, corrective measures, and resolution of operational disruptions impacting output or customer commitments.
• Ensure jobs flow through the manufacturing system with pace, accountability, and clear ownership.
• Leadership, organisation, and performance: Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, team leaders, and operational staff across the site, building strong leadership beneath the role.
• Drive accountability at equipment owner level and ensure KPIs are delivered consistently.
• Build accountability for attendance, output, behaviour, quality, and safety standards through disciplined performance management.
• Support organisation design, recruitment, onboarding, capability development, and succession planning within operational teams.
• Establish clear ownership and accountability across operational teams, ensuring performance standards, escalation discipline, and decision-making authority are consistently applied across the site.
• Operational control, governance, and compliance: Maintain effective shopfloor controls, shift handovers, escalation routines, operational reporting, and management governance.
• Drive adherence to standard operating procedures, routing discipline, internal controls, and regulatory requirements across the manufacturing operation.
• Work closely with quality teams to protect right-first-time performance, audit readiness, and robust containment of issues.
• Operational excellence and strategic interface: Deliver practical improvements to labour productivity, throughput, schedule adherence, and execution discipline across the site.
• Deploy and enforce lean management principles across the site.
• Escalate structural constraints and recurring issues, providing data-driven input into broader operational strategy, capacity planning, and investment decisions.
• Support the implementation of new processes, systems, and controls introduced through business transformation and digital enablement initiatives.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Outstanding problem solving skills, strong work ethics, and integrity.
• 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, ideally in the aerospace & defence sector, with direct oversight of multi-disciplinary operations.
• Proven ability to deliver 100% OTIF and lead large, diverse teams across machining, treatments, logistics, and assembly.
• Proven ability to manage supervisors, team leaders, and factory teams.
• Good understanding of production control, scheduling, escalation, and performance management.
• Strong understanding of metallics manufacturing (including soft and hard metal) and surface treatments in aerospace.
• Knowledge of aerospace quality systems and regulatory standards (AS9100, NADCAP).
• Track record in implementing lean manufacturing, production planning, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience.
• Strong leadership presence, able to act as a cultural ambassador and uphold a meritocratic, high-performance environment.
• Exposure to ERP / MRP-based production control systems, production data analysis, and operational reporting.
• Background in CAPEX investment planning and execution.
• Able to work full-time, on-site in Barnoldswick.

Desirable:

• Experience managing subcontractors and “extended workbench” manufacturing.
• Familiarity with ITAR, NIST, and defence sector compliance requirements.

What We Offer:

• Strategic Impact: Shape critical operational processes and establish a legacy of excellence in a rapidly scaling organisation.
• Prestige and Innovation: Work on high-stakes projects that define the future of aerospace, space, and defense.
• Meritocratic Culture: Join an organisation where excellence, integrity, and results are the foundation of everything we do.

To be considered for this role, please submit a complete application (motivational letter, CV, and all references).