Production Manager in Portsmouth

Production Manager – Aerospace Manufacturing Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire Salary: Competitive, depending on experience Job Type: Full-time, Permanent Industry: Aerospace Manufacturing Department: Manufacturing / Operations About the Role Our client is a global aerospace manufacturer providing mission-critical equipment and solutions across the commercial and defence aerospace sectors. Based at their Portsmouth facility, the business manufactures safety-critical aerospace products, including aircraft fuel systems and emergency flotation equipment, within a highly regulated manufacturing environment. They are now looking for an experienced Production Manager to lead manufacturing operations, develop high-performing teams and drive improvements across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People (SQDCP). The Role This is a senior, hands-on operational leadership position where you will take responsibility for delivering production commitments while developing the systems, people and processes required to support future growth. You will: * Ensure production plans and customer commitments are achieved. * Identify and address capacity constraints, material shortages and bottlenecks. * Monitor production performance and implement recovery plans where required. * Lead Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives. * Improve manufacturing flow and reduce lead times and waste. * Establish and maintain effective Daily Management Systems. * Work closely with Engineering and Quality to improve processes and eliminate recurring issues. * Improve Right First Time performance and reduce defects, rework and scrap. * Provide visible leadership on Health, Safety and Environmental standards. * Develop Production Leaders, Supervisors and Team Leaders. * Build a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous improvement. * Use operational data and SQDCP metrics to drive performance and decision-making. About You We are looking for an experienced manufacturing leader with a proven background in production operations and team management. You will ideally have: * Significant experience in a manufacturing leadership role. * Experience managing production through Supervisors, Team Leaders or Production Leaders. * A proven track record of improving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People performance. * Strong knowledge of production planning, capacity management and manufacturing flow. * Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement. * Experience implementing Daily Management Systems and performance metrics. * Strong knowledge of manufacturing quality systems and root-cause problem solving. * A hands-on leadership style with the confidence to engage with both shop-floor teams and senior management. Aerospace & Regulatory Experience Experience within aerospace, defence or another highly regulated manufacturing environment would be highly advantageous. Knowledge or experience of the following would be particularly beneficial: * AS9100 * CAA / EASA Part 21 * CAA / EASA Part 145 What We're Looking For We are looking for a Production Manager who can combine strong operational leadership with a continuous improvement mindset. You will be comfortable taking ownership of short-term production challenges while also implementing long-term improvements to processes, systems and people. If you have experience building high-performing manufacturing teams and delivering measurable improvements in production performance, we would like to hear from you. Apply Now