Assistant Production Manager in Whitstable

We are seeking a results-driven Assistant Production Manager to support our manufacturing operation at our site in Whitstable, Kent. This role will mean ensuring efficient and safe production processes that meet customer requirements and company goals. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, a good understanding of production procedures, and a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

The role will be supporting the Production Manager and the Production Management Team, with the daily manufacturing demands, ensuring the delivery of our products to the customer within agreed lead times and budgeted operational costs, whilst maintaining the high standards of quality and compliance our customers expect from Swegon.

The role will also include supporting and maintaining a driven, customer and quality focused, efficient, engaged production team, using practices such as Lean and Right First Time, whilst adhering to the set processes and compliance requirements set out by the business. Identifying Continuous Improvement opportunities and development are a key part of the role, ensuring maximum involvement from the production team to maintain this practice as part of the culture of the business. Support from the Engineering & SHEQ teams is also available to achieve this. Experience in H&S, Quality and HR practices and processes will be essential.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Production Planning and Scheduling: Working in conjunction with our Planning Department.
• Resource Management: Effectively manage human resources, materials, and other assets to ensure optimal allocation and utilisation for project success.
• Quality Control & Health and Safety: Set and enforce quality control standards, adhering to H&S regulations, fostering a safe working environment.
• Team Leadership and Supervision: Supervise, motivate, and manage production personnel, evaluating performance and identifying training needs, using the Production Skills Matrix.
• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities for improvements, implementing lean manufacturing techniques, drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance productivity and reduce waste.
• Reporting and Communication: Track KPIs, prepare detailed production reports for senior management, and liaise with other departments such as sales, marketing, and engineering.
• Adaptable and Resilience: Remain flexible and calm in stressful situations, adapt to changing priorities, and embrace new ideas and technologies.
• Problem-solving: Clear and logical thinking, resolve production process issues.
• Attention to Detail: To ensure quality standards are met, production plans followed, and H&S regulations are adhered to.
• Proactiveness: Taking initiative and exploring new ways of working to improve production results.
• Ethical Conduct: Demonstrate transparency, integrity, fairness, and respect in all interactions, fostering a culture of trust and professionalism.
• Motivating Skills: To achieve maximum efficiency within Production environment and Managerial level.
• Soft Skills: Demonstrate excellent communication, active listening, adaptability, problem-solving, and conflict resolution abilities to build positive relationships and foster collaboration across teams.
• Essential Qualifications: GCSE standard Maths/English or equivalent; Competent in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word & Excel).
• Essential Experience: Proven experience (e.g. 3-5 years) in a production management or a similar role within a manufacturing environment; Good knowledge of production management, manufacturing lean processes, quality standards (e.g. ISO) and health and safety regulations; Proficiency with computers and relevant software packages for scheduling, monitoring and reporting.

At Swegon, we work to create the world's best indoor climate that makes people thrive and feel good inside. We have ambitious goals in our sustainability efforts, in offering the most energy-efficient products, promoting gender equality, and becoming carbon neutral, and we have clear transparency in our work. We offer exciting challenges in a global environment with competent colleagues and a culture characterised by our values: Customer Empathy, Trust, and Commitment, which permeate everything we do and are the basis for the decisions we make and how we interact with each other.

At Swegon, we have an open and flexible organisational culture with short decision-making processes, plenty of development opportunities, and we care about you being able to balance your work with your personal life. We place great emphasis on personal qualities, welcome applicants with different backgrounds, and strive for diversity and gender equality.