Head of Manufacturing - Operations Function

Bolton

Fantastic opportunity for a Manufacturing Operations Executive to join our growing UK wide Operations team to help lead and drive the delivery of our products.

Job Title: Head of Manufacturing – Operations Function

Salary:  Up to £85,000

Location: Bolton or Stevenage

(If Stevenage based, please note this will involve regular travel to our main manufacturing site in Bolton)

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 4 days per week on-site due to workload classification

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

The opportunity:

Due to continued growth and internal changes, an exciting and unique opportunity has arisen to operate at an Executive level within Manufacturing UK.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Operations Leader with a passion for Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence to lead a large deployed team in driving the core function of the business, as part of a larger matrix organisation.   

This is a great opportunity to lead and influence a growing function and play a major role in shaping its future.  You must be enthusiastic about the creation of efficient operations practices and processes that support operational and functional excellence, as well as driving a culture of continuous improvement, problem solving and transformational change.

• Overseeing Manufacturing Operations teams deployed across three UK manufacturing facilities.
• Provide functional direction and leadership to your team as well as collaborate with and influence a wider peer group of Heads of Manufacturing, Engineering teams and Skill Pool Leaders to support the delivery of Manufacturing UKs business requirements/targets.
• Support the UK Operations community in the development of key capabilities, training and knowledge management.
• Fantastic opportunities for personal growth and development.
• Potential to travel within the UK / Europe to explore best practice and collaborate with the wider MBDA Operations network.

What we're looking for from you:

• Highly experienced Operations Manager, with a desire for a new challenge, setting the strategic vision for an Operations Function within an electro-mechanically biased manufacturing facility.
• Experience in understanding and applying the regulatory/legislative requirements of AS9100/EN9100 within a production environment.
• Demonstrated business acumen in operations with the ability to understand how complex manufacturing assembly and test architectures are set up to support business delivery.
• Experience of auditing, governance and compliance within a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrable experience in continuous improvement initiatives and lean leadership practices
• Effective, highly developed communication skills with a proven ability to liaise and collaborate across a business and/or other equivalent organisations.
• Strong people influencing skills to drive process change across a skill pool deployed across in a multi-product and multi-site facility.
• Proven leadership skills to support organisational and cultural change.
• Sound understanding of standard HR practices and principles.
• Ideally educated to a degree level coupled with significant relevant business experience.
• Must be prepared/capable of assuming a delivery focused position as a product focused Head of Manufacturing if required.
• Willingness to travel to the manufacturing sites across the UK

Interested? Click Apply Now!

Our company:

MBDA is a leading defence organisation.  We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

What we can offer you:

• Company Bonus: Executive bonus scheme
• Car Allowance: Monthly car allowance
• Pension: Maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Medical Cover: Personal cover with the option to add family members
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave. Enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments.
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…

Our Business:

We respect new perspectives and experiences, and we value our collaborative ways of working. We are committed to growing and supporting diversity in our workforce and ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their potential.   MBDA is proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process. We also welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.