Working Shop Manager

Job Title

Working Shop Manager

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced, practical, and highly organised Working Shop Manager to join a bespoke shop fitting company delivering high-quality commercial interiors and specialist fit-outs.

This is a hands-on management role for someone who is equally comfortable leading a workshop team, organising production, working from drawings and specifications, and getting involved in the manufacture and finishing of bespoke items.

The successful candidate will take responsibility for the smooth day-to-day running of the workshop, ensuring projects are manufactured to a high standard, on time and within agreed specifications.

Key Responsibilities

Workshop Management

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the workshop.
• Plan and organise workshop production to meet project deadlines.
• Allocate work and manage workloads across the workshop team.
• Ensure materials, machinery, tools, and labour are available when required.
• Monitor progress and identify potential delays or production issues early.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and well-organised working environment.
• Ensure workshop equipment and machinery are maintained and used correctly.

Hands-On Production

• Take an active role in the manufacture and assembly of bespoke shop-fitting and interior components.
• Read and interpret technical drawings, plans, and cutting lists.
• Assist with setting out, cutting, assembly, installation preparation and finishing where required.
• Solve practical manufacturing problems and develop efficient solutions.
• Maintain the high-quality workmanship and attention to detail expected from a bespoke interiors company.

Team Leadership

• Lead, support, and motivate workshop staff.
• Provide guidance and practical training to less experienced team members.
• Set clear standards for quality, productivity, housekeeping, and safety.
• Manage day-to-day performance and address issues promptly and professionally.
• Foster a positive, cooperative, and solutions-focused workshop culture.

Project & Production Coordination

• Liaise with project managers, designers, and site teams to ensure workshop production meets project requirements.
• Review drawings and specifications before manufacture.
• Check dimensions, finishes, materials, and details before work begins.
• Coordinate production schedules around site installation dates.
• Carry out quality checks throughout manufacture and before items leave the workshop.
• Ensure completed work is correctly labelled, protected and prepared for delivery or installation.

Health & Safety

• Take responsibility for maintaining safe working practices within the workshop.
• Ensure staff follow company health and safety procedures.
• Identify and report hazards and ensure appropriate control measures are in place.
• Ensure machinery and workshop equipment is operated safely.
• Maintain appropriate housekeeping and PPE standards.

Experience & Skills

Essential

• Previous experience in bespoke joinery, shop fitting, interior fit-out, cabinet making or a similar workshop environment.
• Proven experience supervising or managing a workshop/team.
• Strong practical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to read and understand technical drawings.
• High standards of workmanship and attention to detail.
• Good understanding of workshop production processes.
• Ability to organise work and meet deadlines.
• Confident communicating with colleagues, management, suppliers, and site teams.
• Reliable, professional, and willing to lead from the front.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, project-based environment.

Desirable

• Experience within high-end retail, hospitality, commercial interiors, or luxury residential projects.
• Relevant woodworking/joinery qualification.
• Experience with CNC machinery or other specialist workshop equipment.
• Experience with laminates, veneers, solid timber, Corian/solid surfaces, metalwork, or specialist finishes.
• Experience preparing bespoke items for site installation.
• Basic understanding of estimating, material requirements, and job costing.

Personal Qualities

We are looking for someone who is:

• Hands-on - happy to get stuck in and lead by example.
• Organised - able to plan production and keep projects moving.
• Quality-focused - takes pride in delivering exceptional workmanship.
• Practical - able to find solutions when challenges arise.
• A strong leader - capable of getting the best from a workshop team.
• Dependable - takes ownership and follows jobs through to completion.
• Commercially aware - understands the importance of productivity, materials, waste, and deadlines.
• Flexible - able to adapt to changing project requirements.
• Professional - represents Daniel James Interiors positively with clients, suppliers, and colleagues.

Working Hours

Full-time, Monday to Friday, with working hours to be confirmed according to the company's workshop requirements.

Occasional additional hours, early starts or site-related requirements may be necessary to meet project deadlines.

What We Offer

• A key management position within an established bespoke shop-fitting business.
• The opportunity to work on varied, high-quality commercial interior projects.
• A hands-on role with genuine responsibility and autonomy.
• A supportive and skilled working environment.
• Competitive salary based on experience and ability.
• Opportunities for progression as the company grows.

Reporting To

Company Director / Operations Director

Key Objective

The primary objective of the Working Shop Manager is to ensure that the workshop operates efficiently, safely, and profitably while consistently producing high-quality bespoke work to the required specification and deadline.

The successful candidate will be a working manager rather than purely an administrator - someone who understands the craft, can manage people and production, and is prepared to get involved when the job requires it.

Search is an equal opportunities recruiter and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified applicants, regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation or age.