Ref: SYN57165

Production Manager

• Location England, South East, Essex, Southend-on-Sea
• Sector ManufacturingEngineeringAerospace
• Job type Permanent
• Salary £40000 - £45000 per annum, Benefits: + 4 day week + Pension + Life Assurance + Holiday

Production Manager

Location: 5 miles from Southend-on-Sea  (commutable from Southend-on-Sea, Rayleigh, Hockley, Leigh-on-Sea, Basildon, Wickford, Canvey Island, Chelmsford)
Salary: Up to £45,000 per annum (dependent on experience) + benefits
Start Date: ASAP (notice periods considered)

This role would suit an experienced shop floor Production Manager or senior aerospace engineer who is comfortable leading from the front, with a strong background in CNC machining and people management within a precision manufacturing environment.

Syntech Recruitment is working with a well-established aerospace precision engineering manufacturer based near Southend On Sea Essex, part of a wider engineering group supplying safety-critical components into the aerospace sector. This is a key leadership role within a modern machining facility, offering long-term stability, autonomy, and the opportunity to shape production performance.

As a Production Manager, you’ll be responsible for coordinating daily production activity, managing workload and job flow, and leading a skilled shop floor team to deliver quality, on-time output.

Production Manager Benefits

• Salary up to £45,000 depending on experience
• Monday–Thursday working week (06:45–16:30) – 37 hours
• Overtime available
• 16 days holiday + 8 bank holidays
• Pension plan
• Health Cash Plan
• Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Shopping and lifestyle discounts
• Stable, profitable aerospace manufacturer with continued growth plans

Production Manager Responsibilities

• Plan, prioritise, and delegate production workload on a daily basis
• Coordinate job running, update load lists, and manage production working order
• Lead, motivate, train, and develop the shop floor team
• Manage attendance, holidays, sickness absence, and cover planning
• Set and run machinery where required, including:
  • Sliding and fixed head CNC machines
  • Fanuc-controlled lathes
  • Drilling and tapping operations
• Carry out first-off and job run inspections of machined components
• Monitor and report on monthly production KPIs (OTD, arrears, quality, profitability)
• Manage tooling requirements and liaise with tooling representatives
• Oversee machine maintenance and action production-related issues
• Support recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding of new team members
• Drive continuous improvement and promote a “right first time” culture
• Work closely with the General Manager and Operations leadership

Production Manager Requirements

• Proven experience in shop floor / production management within aerospace or precision engineering
• Strong hands-on background setting and running CNC machinery
• Experience with sliding head and fixed head CNCs using Fanuc controls
• Confident coordinating workload, production schedules, and priorities
• Strong people management skills with the ability to motivate and train teams
• Good understanding of quality systems, KPIs, and manufacturing best practice
• Proactive, organised, and solutions-focused approach

Simply apply today to speak with one of our consultants.

All candidates must have full right to work in the UK. No sponsorship is available for this role.