Production Manager

Production Manager | Littlehampton| £55,000

The Situation 

Ford and Stanley are currently collaborating with a global company specialising in the design, development, and manufacturing of high-performance polymer-based components and systems. They are known for their expertise in rubber, elastomeric, and polymer solutions tailored to industries like rail, defence, automotive, and industrial engineering. They are seeking a Production Manager to join their team in Littlehampton.

The Production Manager will play a key role in driving the growth and ongoing development of shop floor operations. A strong focus on strategic initiatives and process optimisation will be essential to enhancing production efficiency and supporting continuous improvement efforts.

As a Production Manager you will be a hands-on leader who creates high-performing teams through trust, transparency, and accountability, while keeping safety and employee well-being front and centre.

 The Opportunity

• The Production Manager will lead a key process area with significant potential for efficiency improvements. Achieving this will require strong, motivational leadership to drive change and unify the team around new operational practices.
• While supported by the wider group, the business operates within budget limitations. The incoming Production Manager must focus on boosting workforce productivity, improving efficiency, and developing team skills with minimal resources. Investing in people will be key to unlocking greater capacity.
• The Production Manager will need to carefully balance day-to-day delivery with driving change. This will require strategic thinking, empathy, and strong prioritisation to ensure both operational performance and long-term improvements are achieved.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate an increase to the output of the factory across the current product portfolio.
• Significantly improve the organisation of the site, ensuring it is clean, efficient, and well structured, underpinned by lean methodologies such as 5S.
• Implement robust and meaningful KPIs and processes, driving productivity, clarity of expectations, and long-term growth.
• Mentor, inspire and lead your direct team and broader workforce, creating an engaged, collaborative, and accountable culture.
• Be a champion for an initiative-taking safety-first culture, embedding safe systems of work, driving behavioural change, and ensuring safety is part of every conversation and every process.
• Act as a key driver of cultural and operational change, working shoulder-to-shoulder with staff, fostering trust and mutual respect.

Essential Criteria

• Strong knowledge of continuous improvement practices including Lean Manufacturing.
• A good understanding of KPIs and delivering monthly/ weekly forecasts.
• From heavy engineering or manufacturing background
• Safety-conscious, with a personal commitment to embedding and enforcing safe working practices throughout the site.

Salary:

£55,000 plus wider company benefits

About Ford & Stanley Group

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership, and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas - recruiting, developing, and retaining the best talent from shop floor to boardroom.

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Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.