Operations Engineering Team Leader Manufacturing in Southampton

Operations Engineering Team Leader Manufacturing

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Location: Hedge End, Southampton
Salary: Circa £50,000£55,000
Type: Permanent
Were recruiting for an Operations Engineering Team Leader to join a high-precision manufacturing environment in Hedge End, Southampton.
This is a hands-on leadership role, responsible for leading a small team of around 56 engineers while remaining technically involved in the day-to-day engineering support of production.
The role would suit a Senior or Lead Manufacturing Engineer looking to take their first step into formal people leadership , as well as an experienced engineering leader who enjoys staying close to the technical detail.
The Role
Youll lead the engineering support function for production, ensuring issues are identified and resolved quickly while driving improvements across quality, yield, efficiency and manufacturing processes.
Its roughly a 50/50 split between leadership and technical delivery , so this is not a role for someone looking to move entirely away from the engineering detail.
Key responsibilities will include:
Day-to-day leadership and management of a team of 56 engineers
Providing engineering support to production and resolving technical issues
Leading problem solving and root cause analysis
Driving continuous improvement and Lean Manufacturing initiatives
Identifying opportunities to reduce scrap and improve production yield
Supporting high-precision mechanical assembly processes
Working within a clean room manufacturing environment and maintaining exceptionally high assembly standards
Supporting production team meetings and providing a strong engineering presence
Reviewing and improving manufacturing processes, with a focus on quality, repeatability and efficiency
Supporting FMEA activity and risk-based problem solving
Ensuring the quality and suitability of materials used within the manufacturing process
Coaching, mentoring and developing team members
Allocating work, managing priorities and ensuring engineering tasks are delivered effectively
Acting as a technical lead within a busy, high-pressure production environment
About You
Were looking for someone with a strong manufacturing or production engineering background , who is comfortable getting into the detail and solving problems rather than simply managing from a distance.
You could be:
A Senior Manufacturing Engineer or Lead Manufacturing Engineer ready to move into your first formal leadership role
An experienced Engineering Team Leader or Manager who remains technically hands-on
A manufacturing engineer who has already had some responsibility for coaching, mentoring or informally leading others
Youll ideally bring experience of:
Manufacturing or production engineering
Leading, coaching or mentoring engineers or technical teams
Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement
Root cause analysis and structured problem solving
Yield improvement and scrap reduction
FMEA and quality-focused engineering
High-precision mechanical assembly or similarly detailed manufacturing environments
Working to very high standards of quality and process control
Youll need to be comfortable working in a high-pressure production environment , able to prioritise effectively and confident making decisions when technical issues arise.
Just as importantly, youll be someone who is willing to learn, gets involved and enjoys understanding how things are built. The products involve high-precision, fine mechanical assembly , so attention to detail and an appreciation of quality are essential. xiskglj
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to combine their technical manufacturing engineering experience with genuine people leadership, without losing the hands-on element of the role.