Job Title
Head of Series Manufacturing
Ref #
59311
Date posted
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Sheffield
Business area
Sheffield
Department
Sheffield
Position level
3 - Head of (L -20)
Working time
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Working pattern
0800 to 1700 - Monday to Friday
Salary
N/A
What to Expect

Working within the site leadership team of the McLaren Composites Technology Centre’s based in Sheffield/Rotherham, reporting to the Plant Director.  The head of series manufacturing will provide strategic and operational leadership of manufacturing operations to deliver safe, high‑quality vehicle component production, interacting at all phases from concept design for manufacturing, through to series production and aftersales. 

Own manufacturing performance in terms of cost, quality and delivery by developing and implementing best‑practice processes, equipment and facilities, and driving continuous improvement excellence for series production, model‑year and running changes. 

Lead, develop and motivate a high‑performing team to ensure robust problem solving, efficient resource utilisation and alignment with wider business objectives. 

What You'll Do

• Maintain a safety first culture and ensure compliance with H&S standards across all manufacturing operations. 
• Facility management: own maintenance, replacement and lifecycle management of existing tooling and production CAPEX. 
• Site layout ownership: design, optimise and maintain site layout to maximise flow, safety, ergonomics and space utilisation. 
• Process layout ownership: standardise and control process layouts to support consistent, high quality series production and efficient running changes. 
• Production capacity planning: plan capacity, staffing and resources to meet current and forecast demand, including ramp up scenarios and multi shift operation. 
• Deliver manufacturing infrastructure and resourcing to meet productivity, quality, availability and OEE targets. 
• Continuous improvement (from Job 1 onwards): lead initiatives to reduce scrap, shorten cycle times, simplify BOMs, improve product quality and increase equipment availability. 
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma/DMAIC, TPM, Kaizen and appropriate automation/technology adoption to drive improvements. 
• Maintenance & reliability strategy: oversee preventative maintenance, spares and reliability programmes to maintain equipment availability. 
• Quality assurance: ensure systems, fixtures and processes meet product quality and customer specifications. 
• Supplier coordination: work with cross functional teams and suppliers to secure parts quality, lead times and supplier readiness for series production. 
• Commercial & budgeting: undertake costing modelling, prepare CAPEX proposals and manage budgets, forecasts and cost reduction activities. 
• Problem solving & governance: lead root cause analysis, ensure timely corrective/preventive actions and report KPIs and risks to stakeholders. 
• People leadership: lead, coach and develop the manufacturing support team, set clear objectives and foster a collaborative, accountable culture. 

What You'll Bring

PERSONAL ATTRIBIUTES:  

 

  • Highly motivated, resilient and assertive with a pragmatic, data‑ and process‑driven approach.

  • Dynamic and adaptable; able to respond to challenging situations with innovative, practical solutions.

  • Clear and effective communicator (written and oral) able to present technical information and influence at all levels.

  • Strong team player and people leader: encourages, empowers and develops colleagues; builds trust and positive working relationships.

  • Logical thinker with the ability to balance strategic priorities and day‑to‑day operational objectives.


KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE: 


Degree in Engineering or related discipline, or equivalent industry experience. 
Minimum 10 years in manufacturing engineering/operations; at least 5 years in a senior leadership role. 
Proven experience in vehicle or complex assembly manufacturing, launches, model‑year and running changes, and cross‑functional delivery. 
Experience delivering a manufacturing engineering, maintenance, or similar function across multi‑shift operations. 
Strong technical knowledge of manufacturing systems, equipment, facilities, tooling lifecycle and regulatory/safety compliance to enable timely, well‑informed decisions. 
Demonstrable experience in capacity planning, production scheduling, maintenance strategy, supplier quality management and OEE improvement. 
Track record of driving CI/automation using DMAIC, Lean, Six Sigma, TPM or equivalent. 
Financial literacy: budget ownership, CAPEX process, business case development and costing modelling. 
Excellent communicator and influencer; able to manage multiple stakeholders and present performance and risk to senior leadership. 

What We'll Do for You
We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:
  • Structured career development framework
  • 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
  • Enhanced company pension scheme
  • Discretionary annual bonus award
  • Private medical insurance and health cash plan
  • Life assurance benefit
  • Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
  • Generous parental leave policies
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
Who Are We?
No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. 

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey. 

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