About the role

Lead a team of approximately 50 people, take ownership of manufacturing operations and drive right-first-time production. Reporting to the General Manager and working alongside the Leadership Team, you will oversee manufacturing and production activities, ensuring customer requirements are delivered safely, on time, to specification and within budget.

Key responsibilities

- Lead production office support staff, team leaders and production employees, establishing transparent priorities, accountability and performance standards

- Take ownership of jobs moving through the factory, resolve bottlenecks early and achieve daily, weekly and monthly delivery targets

- Manage production scheduling, capacity planning and labour allocation across production areas and shifts

- Ensure machinery, tooling, staffing and skills are matched to requirements, and communicate lead times and capacity constraints accurately

- Maintain a visible presence on the factory floor and lead a safety-first culture

- Work with the Quality Manager to investigate defects and non-conformances, address root causes and reduce rework

- Implement and sustain Lean Manufacturing and 5S practices to reduce waste, waiting time and process variation

- Coordinate preventative maintenance and ensure breakdowns and recurring machinery issues are investigated and resolved





- Recruit, induct, train, coach and develop production employees and team leaders

- Monitor labour efficiency, machine utilisation, overtime, subcontracting and production expenditure

About you

- At least 10 years' relevant manufacturing experience, including substantial production leadership responsibility in sheet metal manufacturing

- Practical working knowledge of machinery operation, both manual and CNC, including machine capabilities, tooling, setup requirements and production processes

- Manufacturing expertise built on a strong foundation of trade skills

- Proven experience leading sizeable production teams, with the ability to coach, motivate and develop team leaders and employees

- Strong production planning, scheduling, capacity management and resource allocation skills

- Practical experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, 5S and continuous improvement

- A demonstrated commitment to safety, quality and right-first-time manufacturing

- Sound commercial judgement and experience controlling manufacturing costs

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with proficiency in ERP systems and Microsoft Office

- Clear communication skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines

📌 Production Manager - Sheet Metal (Penrith)
🏢 Worthwhile Recruiting
📍 Penrith