Production Manager in East Dereham, Norfolk

Production Manager – Manufacturing

Location: Dereham, Norfolk
Salary: Negotiable
Hours: 37.75 hours per week
Monday–Thursday: 7:30am – 4:15pm
Friday: 7:30am – 12:30pm

The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Production Manager to join an established engineering and manufacturing business based in Dereham, Norfolk.

We are looking for a proactive, hands-on leader who can take responsibility for day-to-day production operations, drive performance and continuous improvement, and develop a motivated, high-performing manufacturing team.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys being involved in the operation, leading from the front and making a measurable difference to productivity, quality and delivery performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop production teams to achieve safety, quality, productivity and delivery targets.

• Oversee daily manufacturing operations, ensuring production schedules and customer requirements are achieved.

• Manage labour, resources and production capacity to maximise operational efficiency.

• Monitor production KPIs, identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including Lean Manufacturing principles and process improvements.

• Work closely with Planning, Quality and Sales teams to ensure production and customer delivery requirements are met.

• Manage departmental costs and labour resources in line with agreed budgets.

• Support recruitment, training, coaching and development of production employees.

• Maintain high standards of Health & Safety, quality and environmental compliance.

• Promote a positive working culture focused on accountability, teamwork and operational excellence.

Skills & Experience Required

• Proven experience as a Production Manager, Manufacturing Manager or similar operational leadership position.

• Strong background within an engineering or manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrable experience managing, motivating and developing production teams.

• Good understanding of production planning, resource allocation and operational performance.

• Experience monitoring and improving KPIs, including productivity, efficiency, quality and on-time delivery.

• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement and quality-focused manufacturing processes.

• Strong communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.

• Confident decision-maker with a proactive, hands-on management style.

Qualifications

• Relevant engineering, manufacturing or operations qualification, or equivalent practical industry experience.

• IOSH Managing Safely or a similar Health & Safety qualification would be advantageous.

What We're Looking For

We are particularly interested in speaking with candidates who are passionate about manufacturing, enjoy developing people and have a proven track record of improving operational performance.

You will be a confident leader who can balance the demands of daily production with longer-term improvements, ensuring the business consistently achieves its quality, efficiency and customer delivery objectives.