At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the production of advanced composite UAV airframes across UK and European partners.
- Company: Join a rapidly growing autonomous systems business in aerospace and defence.
- Benefits: Permanent role with travel opportunities and significant influence over production processes.
- Other info: Ideal for candidates from UAV, aerospace, motorsport, or high-performance automotive backgrounds.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in high-quality composite manufacturing for cutting-edge UAV technology.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in advanced composites manufacturing and strong technical understanding required.
The predicted salary is between 34200 - 41800 £ per year.
We are recruiting a Composite Production Manager for a rapidly growing autonomous systems business manufacturing advanced UAV platforms for international defence customers.
This is a specialist composites manufacturing position with responsibility for the end-to-end production and delivery of composite airframes across a network of UK and European manufacturing partners. We are specifically looking for someone with significant practical experience of composite component and structural manufacture. This is not a general Production Manager position. Candidates need a strong technical understanding of advanced composites manufacturing processes.
The role
You will take ownership of the production of composite airframes from tooling and raw material availability through component manufacture, finishing, bonding and final structural assembly. You'll work closely with engineering, supply chain and quality while managing specialist external composite manufacturers.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Managing end-to-end production of composite UAV airframes
- Coordinating multiple composite components and structural assemblies against aircraft build requirements
- Managing specialist composite subcontractors across the UK and Europe
- Ensuring mould tools, jigs and fixtures are production-ready
- Coordinating raw material availability against manufacturing schedules
- Monitoring composite lay-up and laminate manufacture
- Managing cure and post-cure processes
- Overseeing trimming, drilling, machining and finishing operations
- Coordinating bonded and mechanically fastened structural assemblies
- Managing final airframe assembly and delivery
- Reviewing manufacturing drawings, laminate specifications, BOMs and work instructions
- Working with engineering teams to improve Design for Manufacture and Assembly
- Managing manufacturing changes and their impact on tooling and production
- Investigating manufacturing defects and non-conformances
- Driving root-cause analysis and corrective action
- Improving manufacturing yield, repeatability and cycle times
- Monitoring supplier capacity, quality and delivery performance
- Developing recovery plans where production falls behind schedule
- Supporting industrialisation and production scale-up
Essential composites experience
Candidates should have substantial experience within advanced composite manufacturing and a strong working knowledge of several of the following:
- CFRP / carbon fibre composite manufacture
- Prepreg materials
- Composite lay-up
- Ply orientation and laminate schedules
- Vacuum bagging
- Autoclave processing
- Out-of-autoclave processing
- Cure and post-cure cycles
- Resin systems
- Core materials
- Honeycomb / sandwich structures
- Composite mould tools
- Tool preparation and release systems
- Structural adhesives
- Bonded composite assemblies
- Trimming and machining composite components
- Drilling and fastening composite structures
- Jigs and fixtures
- Dimensional inspection
- Composite repair/rework
- Final structural assembly
You should understand the manufacturing process behind a composite component, rather than simply having managed a business that happens to manufacture composites.
Production & quality experience
You should also have strong manufacturing control experience, ideally covering:
- Production planning and scheduling
- Manufacturing Bills of Materials
- Route cards / production travellers
- Manufacturing instructions
- Material traceability
- Batch control
- Prepreg shelf-life and freezer-life management
- Cure-cycle records
- Process control
- First Article manufacture / inspection
- Non-Conformance Reports
- Concessions and deviations
- Root Cause Analysis
- Corrective and Preventive Action
- Engineering change control
- Configuration control
- Quality documentation
- Supplier quality and performance
- Production readiness
- Industrialisation / NPI
- Supplier management
A major part of this position involves managing external manufacturing partners. You must therefore have experience working directly with composite suppliers or subcontract manufacturers, rather than solely managing an internal production team.
You’ll need to be capable of visiting a supplier and technically assessing:
- whether tooling is ready
- whether materials are available
- whether manufacturing processes are being followed
- whether production capacity is sufficient
- why components are being rejected
- whether defects are process or design related
- whether recovery plans are achievable
- what is genuinely preventing delivery
You’ll work closely with suppliers to solve those issues rather than simply monitor their KPIs.
Backgrounds of particular interest
We are particularly interested in candidates from:
- UAV / UAS
- Aerospace
- Formula 1
- Motorsport
- Defence
- Advanced Automotive
- High-Performance Marine Composites
Potential backgrounds could include:
- Composite Production Manager
- Composite Manufacturing Manager
- Senior Composite Manufacturing Engineer
- Composite Engineering Manager
- Manufacturing Engineering Manager
- Composite Operations Manager
- Composite Industrialisation Manager
- Production Engineering Manager
Candidates from Formula 1 and motorsport are particularly relevant where they have managed carbon composite structures from tooling and laminate manufacture through to completed structural assemblies.
What we don’t need
This role is unlikely to suit a general manufacturing or operations manager without substantial composites experience. Likewise, a purely design-focused composites engineer may not have the production ownership required. We need someone who understands the practical realities of turning composite designs into repeatable, conforming physical structures against a production schedule.
The opportunity
The company is moving from relatively low-volume manufacture towards considerably greater production. You’ll therefore have significant influence over:
- tooling
- materials
- manufacturing processes
- supplier capability
- quality
- production planning
- industrialisation
- scalability
If you have built your career around manufacturing high-quality composite structures and want responsibility for delivering complete UAV airframes, we’d like to hear from you. This role is Permanent and Travel is required 3-4 days per week either London or the subcontractor facility.
Composite Production Manager in London employer: Electus Recruitment Solutions
Join a leading defence company in Bristol, where innovation meets purpose. We offer a collaborative work culture that fosters technical excellence and provides ample opportunities for professional growth within the defence sector. With a focus on advanced Air Defence systems, you'll be part of a team that values your expertise and encourages hands-on involvement in shaping critical software architectures.
Contact Details:
Electus Recruitment Solutions Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Composite Production Manager in London
✨Join Aerospace Forums and Groups
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We think you need these skills to ace Composite Production Manager in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Technical Skills:When applying for the aerospace engineering role at Electus Recruitment Solutions, make sure to highlight your technical expertise. Include specific software skills, like CAD tools or simulation software, and any relevant engineering projects you’ve worked on. This is your chance to really shine and showcase your engineering toolkit!
Don't Skip Your Projects!:Include a section in your CV dedicated to projects that demonstrate your problem-solving abilities in aerospace engineering. Whether it's a university project, an internship, or personal work, we love seeing how you’ve applied your skills in real-world scenarios. Make it clear what your role was and the impact of the project.
Show Your Passion in Your Cover Letter:At Electus Recruitment Solutions, we're not just looking for skills – we want to know why you’re passionate about aerospace engineering. Use your cover letter to express what excites you about aviation technology and your career goals. Share any relevant experiences or inspirations that have led you to apply for this full-time position.
Tailor Your CV for Aerospace:Make sure your CV is specifically tailored to aerospace engineering. Focus on your education, any certifications, and your work experience, ensuring you highlight aspects that relate directly to the role. Don’t forget to mention any internships or apprenticeships that have given you hands-on experience.
How to prepare for a job interview at Electus Recruitment Solutions
✨Brush Up on Your Technical Knowledge
Aerospace engineering is all about technical precision, so make sure you’re comfortable with key concepts like aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials science. We recommend going through any relevant coursework or projects you’ve worked on – these real-world examples can illustrate your understanding during the interview with Electus Recruitment Solutions.
✨Showcase Your Projects with Confidence
Make sure to have a portfolio ready that details any significant projects you've worked on, whether it’s a group assignment or a personal endeavour. Be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced, the tools you used, like CAD software, and what you learned from the experience, as this will show your problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Technical Interviews
Expect some technical questions or even problem-solving exercises during your interview with Electus Recruitment Solutions. Get familiar with design challenges or theoretical problems related to aerospace; this can range from calculating lift and drag forces to materials selection under stress. Practising these can help you feel more at ease when faced with tricky questions.
✨Emphasise Your Passion and Teamwork Skills
As a full-time candidate, it’s crucial to convey your passion for aerospace engineering and your ability to work in teams. Highlight any group projects or internships you've done, focusing on how you collaborated with others to achieve a goal. Companies like Electus Recruitment Solutions love seeing candidates who not only have technical skills but also fit well within their team culture.
