At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a dynamic CNC workshop, ensuring top-notch production and quality in precision engineering.
- Company: Join a well-established precision engineering specialist serving the Aerospace and Defence sectors.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous holiday, pension scheme, and performance bonuses.
- Other info: Be part of a culture focused on continuous improvement and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a growing company with exciting projects and a talented team.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in CNC machining and experience in precision manufacturing.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 37500 £ per year.
Express Recruitment are proud to be working in partnership with a well‑established precision engineering specialist who supply specialist/one‑off components to market leaders across the Aerospace and Defence sectors. Following a recent acquisition and a rapidly growing demand for their bespoke services, our client is seeking a highly experienced CNC Workshop Production Manager.
The successful candidate will possess natural leadership qualities of a high‑performing production workforce (20+ members), coupled with proven ‘hands‑on’ experience in a busy machine shop, with capabilities for working with a wide range of CNC machines, such as Mazak, HAAS and Doosan machines. In return, you will receive a generous salary of up to £75,000 depending on experience and skillset. Other benefits include 5% matched pension, access to online discount scheme, up to 8 life assurance policy, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and discretionary annual bonus scheme (based on company and personal performance).
Skills & Experience
- Apprentice trained or City & Guilds qualified in Mechanical and/or Manufacturing Engineering
- Proven ‘hands‑on’ experience in multi‑axis CNC machining (4‑7 axis), including milling, turning, and lathe work
- Demonstrable leadership experience of a high performing production workforce, ideally numbers of 20+
- Previous experience within precision manufacturing for Aerospace and Defence sectors, with solid understanding of compliance standards such as AS9100
- Ability to manage underperformance, quality issues, and disciplinaries in a professional and strategic manner
- Ability to make key decisions in a calm and calculated manner
- Capable of adapting quickly to operational and technical changes as the business continues to grow
- IT literate, including ERP/MRP systems and Excel for KPI reporting, labour productivity tracking, and raw material control
- Well versed in a variety of continuous improvement and LEAN techniques to help drive a ‘Right First Time’ culture and zero‑compromise quality culture
- Manage day to day production activities across a busy CNC machine workshop, overseeing daily production output, quality, and efficient delivery
- Supporting wider workshop machining team with operating, setting and programming CNC machines
- Collaborating with Technical Manager to refine and implement technical strategy and processes throughout the department, whilst being on hand to resolve technical issues efficiently and in line with company standards
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives throughout the department to enhance efficiency & cost savings, reduce wastage and improve overall quality of product output
- Lead daily stand‑up meetings to set clear KPI objectives for the team and monitor individual and team performance, whilst highlighting key trends
- Oversee R&D projects focused on NPI and NPD, ensuring the team have sufficient resources and support available
- Monitor production staff rota and labour effectiveness levels, including taking ownership of decisions regarding overtime spend to ensure timely delivery of projects
- Identify production bottlenecks and implement structured corrective actions
- Work closely with the Quality Manager to ensure compliance and quality standards are maintained such as ISO:9001 and AS9100
- Support wider quality team with internal and external audits
- Conduct structured performance reviews on a 1‑to‑1 basis, ensuring clear goals and expectations are met, giving high praise when necessary and addressing underperformance concerns when required
- Maintain technical credibility with experienced CNC Machinists
Job Location: Braintree
Job Type and Hours: Full Time, Permanent
CNC Workshop Production Manager – Precision Engineering in Braintree employer: Express Recruitment
Join a leading organisation in Milton Keynes that values its employees and fosters a supportive work culture. With a competitive salary, generous benefits including a 14.5% employer pension contribution and 33 days of holiday, as well as a flexible hybrid working model, this role offers not just a job but a pathway for professional growth and work-life balance.
