Joinery Manager in Manchester

Our client is a fit-out contractor who has recently acquired a live joinery business, with premises and plant in place and the workshop fit-out currently underway. The workshop is not yet in full production, which creates an opportunity for the right person to join at an exciting time and help shape the standards, working rhythm and operating discipline of the workshop from the outset. The ambition is to create a credible, high-quality and commercially controlled joinery manufacturing capability, supporting both Bodhi Solutions projects and external client opportunities.

The Joinery Workshop Manager will be responsible for the safe, efficient and effective creation of bespoke joinery to the required quality standard and to the clients' satisfaction. The role requires a practical workshop leader who can organise people, plan work, protect quality, maintain safety and ensure that finished joinery is manufactured in a simple, controlled and professional way. The person must be comfortable in the workshop, in the office and, where required, in front of clients. In the early stages, the successful candidate must be prepared to be hands-on where required. As workload and labour grow, this hands-on requirement is expected to reduce, with the role becoming increasingly focused on workshop leadership, production planning, quality control, technical direction and team management.

Core Responsibilities

• Workshop leadership and production delivery: Lead the day-to-day operation of the joinery workshop. Plan, organise and coordinate workshop activity so that work is delivered safely, efficiently and to the required standard. Put workshop staff to work clearly, ensuring each person understands the task, method, quality requirement and programme expectation. Maintain a productive workshop rhythm, avoiding wasted time, poor sequencing, unnecessary double handling and unclear instructions. Ensure the workshop is organised, disciplined, tidy and capable of supporting high-quality production.
• Safe working and workshop discipline: Maintain a safe workshop environment, including good housekeeping, safe use of machinery, appropriate PPE, guarding, extraction and correct working practices. Ensure operatives are properly instructed, competent for the tasks allocated and working in line with agreed safety requirements. Support RAMS, COSHH and workshop compliance requirements where needed, keeping controls practical and proportionate. Challenge unsafe working, poor standards or inappropriate use of plant and equipment.
• Quality and client satisfaction: Take ownership of workshop quality, ensuring bespoke joinery is manufactured to the agreed design, specification, finish and standard. Check work at appropriate stages rather than relying on final inspection only. Ensure finished products are properly protected, stored, labelled and prepared for delivery or installation. Create a culture where quality is owned by the workshop team and defects, rework and avoidable site issues are reduced. Keep client satisfaction at the centre of workshop delivery, balancing quality, practicality, programme and cost.
• Technical direction and buildability: Review drawings, specifications, schedules and client requirements from a practical joinery manufacturing perspective. Direct the detailed design, setting out and manufacturing approach for bespoke items. Identify buildability issues, missing information, overcomplicated details or practical risks before production starts. Work with designers, project managers, estimators and clients to resolve technical details and protect the finished product. Support simpler, more efficient ways of manufacturing without compromising quality or client expectations.
• Planning, resources and materials: Plan the sequence of manufacture, including cutting, machining, assembly, finishing, storage and dispatch. Assess the labour, plant and material requirements needed to manufacture bespoke items and packages of work. Provide clear workshop input to the estimating or commercial team so they can prepare tenders, quotations or cost plans. Identify material requirements, long-lead items, specialist components, tooling needs and workshop constraints early. Coordinate material availability so labour is not committed before the job is ready to progress.
• People management and team development: Direct, support and develop joiners, machinists and workshop operatives. Set clear expectations for productivity, workmanship, behaviour and safety. Coach less experienced team members and demonstrate standards where required. Identify skills gaps, training needs and future labour requirements as the workshop grows. Manage performance issues early, fairly and professionally.
• Office, project team and client interface: Work professionally with project managers, estimators, commercial staff and senior leadership. Attend meetings, support site visits or speak with clients where required. Provide clear progress updates, highlight risks early and avoid over-promising on programme, cost or capability. Translate client and project requirements into practical workshop activity.

Key Capabilities Required

• Strong practical joinery and workshop manufacturing knowledge.
• Ability to lead a workshop team and maintain daily production control.
• Ability to plan work simply and efficiently from drawings, specifications and client requirements.
• Ability to direct detailed design, setting out and buildability decisions.
• Strong quality focus and understanding of what good bespoke joinery looks like.
• Strong safety awareness in a workshop and machinery environment.
• Commercial awareness, including the impact of labour, waste, rework, materials, sequencing and delay.
• Confidence working with office-based teams and speaking to clients where required.
• Ability to provide practical resource input for estimating without needing to be the commercial estimator.
• Willingness to be hands-on in the early stages while the workshop team and workload grow.

Key Attributes

• Practical, credible and respected by tradespeople.
• Organised, calm and able to create structure without overcomplicating matters.
• Quality-focused, safety-conscious and commercially aware.
• Clear and direct in communication.
• Comfortable in a growing business where not everything is already fully established.
• Professional with clients and office colleagues, but grounded in workshop reality.
• Focused on simplicity, efficiency, accountability and client satisfaction.
• Prepared to take ownership and help Bodhi Bespoke grow into a controlled, scalable workshop operation.

Essential Experience

• Experience running, supervising or strongly leading a joinery workshop or production team.
• Experience manufacturing bespoke or high-quality commercial joinery.
• Experience reading drawings, interpreting specifications and planning manufacture.
• Experience managing people, quality, safety and workflow in a workshop environment.
• Experience coordinating labour, materials, plant, tooling and production sequence.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in commercial fit-out, retail, hospitality, leisure, workplace or similar environments.
• Experience with CNC, automated machinery, spray finishing, specialist finishes or certified manufacturing processes.
• Experience supporting tender, quotation or pre-construction activity through practical workshop input.
• Experience working in an SME or growing business where systems and standards are still being embedded.