Machine Shop Manager
Red Chilli Recruitment
Machine Shop Manager
Location: Southampton, Hampshire
Salary: £65,000 per annum
Hours: 40 hours per week
Working hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00am - 4:00pm | Friday, 7:00am - 1:00pm
Reporting to: Workshop Manager
Working arrangement: On-site
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced Machine Shop Manager to lead and oversee a busy machining function within a highly technical engineering and manufacturing environment.
This is a key leadership position for someone with strong machine shop experience, proven team management skills and a good understanding of CNC machining, procurement and external manufacturing.
The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the machine shop operates efficiently, delivers high-quality work and meets production and project requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Manage and lead the machine shop team.
Oversee day-to-day machining activities and workflow.
Ensure work is completed to the required quality, specification and deadlines.
Manage CNC and manual machining activities.
Support production planning, capacity planning and resource allocation.
Manage the procurement of materials, tooling and machine shop requirements.
Identify and manage the outsourcing of metallic work that cannot be completed in-house.
Liaise with external suppliers to ensure quality, cost and delivery requirements are met.
Monitor stock and material requirements.
Work closely with engineering and production teams.
Support quality control and inspection requirements.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and manufacturing capability.
Provide technical input into machining and manufacturing projects.
Support project planning and delivery.
Develop and support the machine shop team.
What We're Looking For
The key requirement is strong practical experience working within a machine shop, combined with experience managing or leading a team.
Ideally, you will have:
Proven experience managing or supervising a machine shop.
Strong knowledge of machining and manufacturing processes.
Experience with CNC machining.
Experience working with precision components and tight tolerances.
Experience managing procurement and suppliers.
Experience outsourcing machining or metallic work.
Strong project management skills.
Experience with production planning and resource management.
A practical, hands-on approach to leadership and problem-solving.
Strong communication and organisational skills.
The ability to work effectively across engineering, production and supply chain functions.
Desirable Experience
Experience within a high-performance or technically demanding environment, such as the following, would be advantageous:
Motorsport
Aerospace
Marine
Automotive
Advanced engineering
Precision manufacturing
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for someone who combines technical machining knowledge with strong leadership and project management ability.
A background that includes the following would be particularly relevant:
Machine Shop Management | CNC | Team Leadership | Procurement | Outsourcing | Project Management
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced machine shop professional to take ownership of a technically challenging and important manufacturing function.
Role Summary
Salary: £65,000 per annum
Hours: 40 hours per week
Working hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00am - 4:00pm; Friday, 7:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Southampton, Hampshire
Working arrangement: On-site
Application opens at the source listing. Free for jobseekers.