Engineering & Defence Manufacturing | Adelaide, SA

About Hephaestus Global

Hephaestus Global is a South Australian-owned engineering and manufacturing group based in Adelaide. The group brings together established specialist businesses, including Mitchell & Cheesman, Toolcraft Australia, Carr Fasteners and Sharman Shelving with capabilities spanning engineering, machining, tooling and industrial manufacturing.

Our businesses deliver precision engineering, defence manufacturing and industrial solutions across complex one-off projects and repeat production work. By combining experienced tradespeople and engineers with up-to-date manufacturing technology, Hephaestus Global is continuing to invest in its people, capabilities and production systems to build strong and sustainable South Australian manufacturing

About the Role

Reporting to senior management, you will be responsible for coordinating and managing production across the workshop, ensuring jobs are completed safely, efficiently, to specification and within agreed timeframes.

Your responsibilities will include:

Planning, scheduling and coordinating daily production activities

Managing workflow across CNC machining, fitting, fabrication and associated manufacturing processes

Monitoring production schedules and ensuring customer delivery commitments are achieved

Allocating labour, machines and resources effectively

Managing priorities when production requirements change

Working closely with programming, engineering, purchasing and quality personnel

Monitoring job progress, productivity, labour hours and costs

Identifying production bottlenecks and implementing improvements

Ensuring work is completed to drawings, specifications and quality requirements





Maintaining high standards of housekeeping, safety and workshop discipline

Leading, mentoring and developing production staff and apprentices

Managing subcontractors and external suppliers where required

Assisting with quoting, estimating and production planning

Investigating production issues and implementing corrective actions

Driving continuous improvement throughout the workshop

Ensuring company procedures and quality requirements are followed

About You

We are looking for someone who is organised, decisive and practical , with the ability to lead a production team while still understanding what is actually happening on the workshop floor.

You will ideally have:

Previous experience in a Production Manager, Workshop Manager or similar senior manufacturing role

Strong experience within engineering, machining, tooling or metal manufacturing

A sound understanding of CNC machining and manufacturing processes

Experience scheduling multiple jobs and managing competing priorities

Strong leadership and people-management skills

The ability to read and understand engineering drawings

A good understanding of production costs, labour utilisation and job profitability

Excellent communication and problem-solving skills

A strong focus on quality and on-time delivery

The ability to work independently and make decisions





A practical, "hands-on" approach to management

Experience working within Defence, Aerospace or other highly regulated manufacturing environments would be highly regarded.

What We Offer

- A senior position within an established South Australian engineering business
- Opportunity to play a significant role in the future growth of the company
- A varied workload involving precision engineering, tooling and Defence-related projects
- A supportive and experienced management team
- Opportunity to implement your own ideas and improve production systems
- Long-term career opportunity
- Competitive remuneration based on experience and capability

The Person We Are Looking For

This role is not simply about keeping a production schedule up to date.

We are looking for someone who can lead from the front , identify problems before they become problems, hold people accountable and continuously improve the way we manufacture.

You will be comfortable walking onto the workshop floor, talking to machinists and tradespeople, understanding what is holding a job up, and taking action to get production moving again.

If you are an experienced manufacturing professional looking for an opportunity where your skills and decisions can have a genuine impact, we would like to hear from you.

Our Company works in the Australian Defence Sector therefore a security clearance my be required for this role. The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) also applies, meaning your nationality could affect your suitability for this position.

Only candidates living in Australia with full work rights will be considered.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Production Mananger (Adelaide)
🏢 Hephaestus Global
📍 Adelaide