Mechanical Production Supervisor in Ashford

Location: Ashford, Kent

Role Type: Permanent, Fulltime

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow we are creating it. From cutting‑edge defence technology to ground‑breaking innovations our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Mechanical Production Supervisor at our Ashford, Kent site, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting‑edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

About the role: We are currently recruiting for a Mechanical Production Supervisor within our Production Team. QinetiQ Target Systems (QTS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of QinetiQ Group PLC, specialising in the design and manufacture of a range of state‑of‑the‑art Unmanned Aerial and Surface Target systems, including the world‑leading Banshee target. QTS targets are used to enable realistic weapons test and evaluation and operator training in over 40 countries worldwide, with QTS providing a complete managed service in over 15 of these countries.

What will I be doing? Reporting to the Production Manager, you will be responsible for the day‑to‑day leadership and operational performance of the Mechanical Production team across the machine shop and fabrication disciplines. The role ensures the effective planning, coordination, and utilisation of people, equipment, and resources to deliver machining, fabrication, and assembly work safely, efficiently, and to specification, meeting production plans, on time and in full. The Mechanical Production Supervisor sets and maintains high standards of Safety, Quality, productivity, and workflow control, driving operational performance, continuous improvement, and team accountability.

• Deliver the mechanical production plan across machine shop, fabrication and assembly activities, ensuring on time in full delivery.
• Execute daily production activities, including labour allocation, workload prioritisation and material availability, to maximise efficiency, throughput and production plan adherence.
• Manage team performance, including PDRs, 1‑1’s, development, recruitment, attendance, KPIs and competency, ensuring team members have the skills, training and knowledge to perform their roles safely and effectively.
• Set and sustain high standards of Safety, Quality and performance, ensuring team accountability.
• Ensure Health & Safety and Quality compliance, including the ownership of the mechanical production risk assessments.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives, optimising efficiency, accuracy, process, space and delivery.

What do I need? You will have leadership experience within a mechanical production, machining, or fabrication environment and practical knowledge of mechanical manufacturing processes, tooling, machine operation, and production documentation. You’ll be skilled in identifying inefficiencies, implementing process improvements, applying lean principles, and using Root Cause Analysis to drive quality improvements and have the ability to lead, motivate, and develop teams; set clear objectives, monitor KPIs, conduct PDRs and 1‑1s, manage attendance, and drive accountability.

We also ask that you have:

• Proven experience in setting objectives, monitoring KPIs, conducting PDRs, and driving accountability.
• Experience using ERP systems to manage production data.
• A formal team leading or supervisory qualification and / or equivalent experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong organisational skills to manage resources and material availability effectively, ensuring production plans are consistently met.
• Knowledge of engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, machine tools, welding/fabrication processes, tooling, and production documentation.
• Awareness of ISO9001, quality standards, and Health & Safety risk assessments in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to provide clear direction, influence team members, and collaborate effectively with peers and when required cross‑functional stakeholders.
• A formal qualification in manufacturing, engineering, or continuous improvement (Lean, Six Sigma) is desirable.

Our Benefits:

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days.
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance.
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more.
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community.

Our Recruitment Process: We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments. Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which means factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.