Production Manager in Templecombe

At Thales Underwater Systems our purpose is to be the leading provider of underwater sensors and decision superiority, helping navies across the world keep our friends, families and all of us safe. We cover four sectors: Mine Counter Measures, Anti-Submarine warfare, Services and Future Capabilities.

We have a new exciting opportunity at Thales Underwater Systems for an Activity Manager to lead within our Conformal Array manufacturing area.

• Your role will be to lead the day-to-day operations of the manufacturing processes within the production area and work closely with Planning/Supply Chain, Process Engineering, Lean & Project functions.
• The role of an Activity (production) Manager is to ensure all team members receive the correct training and meet the hours and schedule performance expectations while complying with the Health & Safety and quality requirements for production.
• Manage the workload within the area and balance the equipment and resources within scope to drive overall efficiency and employee well-being through daily management and appropriate communication.
• Daily line management of the team following employee relations guidance and developing the team, providing feedback to increase performance and autonomy.

We are looking for an individual with experience of successfully managing large teams in a manufacturing environment. Someone who is a strategic thinker and problem solver with the foresight to plan effectively and the ability to inspire and motivate teams toward progress. The ideal candidate will be skilled in building and nurturing strong, collaborative relationships across teams and the wider business, promoting open communication, accountability and teamwork.

• Technical knowledge of medium volume continuous production and manufacturing or repair processes.
• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, JIPM or equivalent production optimisation methodology.
• Use of digital tools to manage industrial performance, data manipulation and deployment for improvement initiatives and justification / decision support.
• Training implementation and skills management.

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires you to be a UK National and achieve Security Clearance (SC) without any caveats. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. If approved by the MOD, a dual national from a non-ITAR country may be considered. To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

We are committed to ensuring equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role.