Head of Manufacturing

Job reference number 345015

• Head of Manufacturing
• Competitive salary plus £5500 car allowance, full family health care, potential 18% bonus & 27.5 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
• Full time
• Permanent
• National

At Royal Mail we’ve served our communities for over 500 years, helping to lead and transform the postal delivery market on a global scale. Our journey to improve never stops, and that’s where we need you.

We’re currently innovating and transforming our business for the future, adapting towards a parcel delivery market, as well as taking environmental responsibility for our impact as a business. To get there, we need exceptionally talented, bright, and driven people.

About the Role

The Head of Manufacturing is accountable for the safe, reliable and cost-effective delivery of manufacturing operations. The role sets the manufacturing strategy, translates business objectives into operational plans, and builds a high-performing organisation capable of meeting customer, quality, service, cost and sustainability commitments.

Working across Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, People and Concept teams, the postholder will lead continuous improvement, strengthen operational controls and develop the capability required for future growth.

You will also

• Safety and wellbeing: Provide visible leadership for a safety-first culture, ensuring effective risk management, legal compliance, incident learning and employee wellbeing.
• Operational performance: Own the manufacturing plan and deliver agreed targets for safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, waste and asset utilisation.
• Manufacturing strategy: Develop and execute a multi-year strategy covering capacity, technology, automation, footprint, skills and resilience.
• Quality and customer: Ensure products and processes consistently meet customer, regulatory and internal quality requirements; lead robust corrective and preventive action.
• Continuous improvement: Embed lean manufacturing, standard work, visual management, problem-solving and data-led improvement across all operations.
• People leadership: Build an inclusive, accountable leadership team; set clear objectives, coach performance, strengthen succession plans and develop technical and operational capability.
• Financial management: Own manufacturing budgets, forecasts and cost performance; identify productivity opportunities and ensure disciplined investment governance.

About You

To truly excel in this role, you will possess, and be able to evidence, the skills and experience listed below:

• Degree or equivalent professional experience in engineering, manufacturing, operations management or a related discipline.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in a complex manufacturing, engineering or industrial environment – both established and brownfield sites.
• Strategic thinking combined with strong execution discipline.
• Practical knowledge of lean manufacturing, structured problem-solving and performance management systems.
• Demonstrable experience of leading continuous improvement and transformational change programmes.
• Sound understanding of manufacturing compliance, quality systems, risk management and employee relations.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen.
• High standards of judgement, integrity and personal accountability.
• Ability to interpret complex information and focus teams on the critical few priorities.
• Clear communications with excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.

About Us

At Royal Mail we connect companies, customers and communities across the country, delivering a ‘one-price-goes-anywhere’, universal postal service to more than 30 million addresses. As one of the UK’s leading companies, we are focused on being recognised as the best delivery company in the UK and across Europe.

Royal Mail are proud of our diverse employee network groups and the active role they play to support belonging and encourage a positive work environment. We are firmly committed to inclusion and passionate about our people representing the communities we serve.

We are happy to support your need for any adjustments during the application and hiring process. Please share the details within your application if required.

We are Forces family friendly and a Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.

For more information on Royal Mail Group and our values please click here: https://www.internationaldistributionsservices.com/en/about-us/

Closing Date: Please note, this advert may close early if the appropriate number of applications has been reached.

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