Production Supervisor - Manufacturing in Oldham

An established manufacturing business in Oldham is seeking a hands-on Production Supervisor to lead a medium-sized shop-floor team of 15+ employees within a busy production department. The department is responsible for the production, assembly, finishing and packing of a range of metal components and manufactured products. This role will suit an experienced people leader and practical problem solver who can bring structure to daily production, communicate clear expectations and respond quickly to bottlenecks, quality issues and changing priorities.

You will take responsibility for maintaining control of the daily production plan, allocating labour effectively, supporting the team and ensuring that safety, quality and output standards are consistently achieved. The business already has elements of 5S, lean manufacturing and continuous improvement in place. The successful candidate will work closely with an improvement-focused management team to strengthen these practices and improve overall departmental performance.

• Lead and supervise a shop-floor team of 15+ production employees.
• Ensure a clear production plan is in place at the beginning of each shift.
• Run daily shop-floor briefings, communicating priorities, workloads and expected output.
• Allocate employees across different production processes according to operational requirements.
• Monitor production performance throughout the day.
• Identify bottlenecks, delays and resource issues, taking prompt corrective action.
• Reallocate labour when required to maintain workflow and production output.
• Ensure the required materials, components, consumables and equipment are available.
• Maintain output against agreed daily production targets.
• Support employees with production, quality and minor process-related issues.
• Ensure work is completed safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards.
• Maintain high standards of housekeeping and workplace organisation.
• Promote safe working practices and ensure hazards, incidents and near misses are reported.
• Complete accurate end-of-shift reports covering output, production issues, quality and safety.
• Support 5S, lean manufacturing and continuous improvement activity.
• Build team flexibility through training and cross-skilling.
• Develop and maintain a departmental skills matrix as the role progresses.
• Conduct employee one-to-ones and support performance and development discussions.
• Work closely with the wider management team to improve safety, quality, delivery and team performance.

You will be a confident and resilient shop-floor leader who is comfortable managing a medium-sized production team within a busy manufacturing environment. You will need to be a strong people leader who can build credibility, communicate clearly and maintain consistent standards across employees with different levels of experience, capability and motivation. You should also be a practical problem solver who can identify bottlenecks, make sound decisions and reorganise labour or priorities when production issues arise.

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• Previous supervisory or team leadership experience within manufacturing, engineering or a similar production environment (Essential).
• Experience leading a medium-sized shop-floor team.
• Strong people-management and communication skills.
• The confidence to run daily briefings and set clear expectations.
• Strong production planning and organisational skills.
• Experience allocating labour according to changing production priorities.
• The ability to identify bottlenecks and respond quickly to operational issues.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Experience monitoring production output, quality and performance.
• A practical and visible leadership style.
• The confidence to challenge poor standards while maintaining positive working relationships.
• An understanding of health and safety within a manufacturing environment.
• Basic computer skills, including email and production reporting.
• Willing and able to work flexibly around start and finish times when production requirements demand it.

Experience in any of the following would be advantageous:

• Metal processing, fabrication or general engineering.
• Cutting, machining, assembly, finishing or packing operations.
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement.
• 5S and workplace organisation.
• Skills matrix development and cross-training.
• Daily production meetings or visual management systems.
• Employee one-to-ones and performance management.

Strong production leadership, communication and problem-solving skills are more important, provided you are willing to learn the operation. This is a visible, shop-floor-based role within a busy industrial manufacturing environment. The operation involves active machinery, metal components, oils and production materials. Candidates must be comfortable working in a practical environment and maintaining clear expectations around safety, housekeeping and performance. This role would not suit someone seeking a predominantly office-based supervisory position.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of an established manufacturing department and make a visible difference. You will have the support of an improvement-focused management team and the opportunity to strengthen daily production control, develop the workforce and help create a more stable, organised and efficient operation.