Defence Team Lead in Rochdale

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Defence Team Lead to support the delivery of exceptional service to our customers and ensure the smooth running of daily operations within the Defence Cluster of the Aftersales team. In this new and dedicated role for our defence customer group, you will provide technical and operational leadership, guide day-to-day team coordination, and ensure KPIs, quality standards, and internal processes are consistently met. You will act as the bridge between the team and management—supporting decision-making, driving continuous improvement, and maintaining financial and operational accuracy within the ERP system.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide input into technical and operational decisions; lead sprint planning, architecture discussions and task prioritisation.
• Coordinate daily team activities, providing mentoring, guidance, and support to team members.
• Respond to customer enquiries and quotation requests promptly, ensuring quotations are prepared and acknowledged within 24 hours.
• Process customer purchase orders within 24 hours and confirm receipt to customers.
• Represent the Aftersales & Service team professionally in meetings with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Log and report incidents, non-conformances, near misses, DMRs, security concerns, or quality issues.
• Coordinate procurement activity with suppliers (with support from Procurement).
• Monitor and uphold KPIs and company performance targets, escalating issues where required.
• Create Job Travellers, shipments, invoices, and supporting documentation (e.g., packing notes, labels, DGNs) within Epicor.
• Liaise with internal departments to obtain required information and enable smooth workflow.
• Verify stock availability in Epicor or with Stores prior to placing supplier orders.
• Engage suppliers regarding product defects, rejections, or quality concerns.
• Maintain accurate customer records within the ERP system and communicate relevant updates.
• Provide information to other departments, such as drawings for inspections.
• Assist Finance with customer invoice queries.
• Support cross-functional collaboration by assisting other departments where appropriate.
• Request new part number creation from the Design team when required.
• Record Health & Safety Near Misses and Safety Observations.
• Support, train, and guide associate-level staff.
• Review quotations and orders in line with Delegation of Authority (DOA) requirements.
• Act as an escalation point for team issues and queries.
• Support the Aftersales Manager with annual leave requests, return-to-work meetings, reporting, and development plans.
• Recommend, implement, and manage continuous improvement initiatives.
• Review and approve test certifications in line with SQEP requirements.
• Ensure financial accuracy of data in Epicor and oversee job completion/closure.
• Manage customer interactions via the sales portal, ensuring information is accurate and up to date.
• Build a strong understanding of company products, services, and operations within two years.
• Complete all mandatory training courses and undertake any additional reasonable tasks aligned to business needs.
• Ensure SOPs are documented, maintained, and regularly reviewed.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise:

• Previous experience in an Aftersales, Service, or Operations environment, ideally within engineering or manufacturing.
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively.
• Confident decision-maker with moderate to high autonomy in day-to-day technical and operational matters.
• Ability to elevate complex issues appropriately to management.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and internal teams.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems (Epicor experience preferred).
• High attention to detail, particularly regarding financial accuracy and data integrity.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and support team members.
• Professional, respectful, and customer-focused approach.
• Understanding of KPIs, quality standards, DOA frameworks, and Health & Safety reporting.
• Ability to manage documentation, SOPs, and compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of shipment preparation, including DGNs and export documentation (desirable).
• Solid understanding of the end-to-end order process and supply chain interactions.

Benefits:

• Competitive employer matched pension scheme (Aviva)
• Company Bonus Scheme
• Employee Referral Scheme
• Free Employee Assistance Services; giving counselling, GP access, financial and wellbeing advice.
• Life insurance
• Income protection (after 5 yrs service)
• Early finish Friday (finishing at 1pm)
• Plenty of training and development
• Holiday buy-back
• Excellent team building, social and company events

At Salt Separation Services, you’ll have the opportunity to work on impactful projects in a dynamic environment, as part of a small family-owned business. We have some big goals on our horizon, we take pride in supporting our employees’ own growth and provide a culture that values quality, communication, integrity, health and safety and family. We’d love to hear from you! Apply now...

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their CV and cover letter detailing relevant experience and qualifications.

The next steps:

• Our team will help look into your application
• If successful, we'll arrange a quick chat
• Initial Interview, will be with the hiring manager and there will be an element of demonstrating your skills.
• Final stage, a peer interview to meet some of the people you’ll be working alongside.
• Offer, and hopefully, acceptance!

Salt Separation Services is committed to creating an inclusive environment where diversity is valued, we encourage all candidates from all backgrounds, and are very happy to facilitate any adjustment you might need.