Senior Production Manager

Job Title: Senior Production Manager
Location: Machynlleth, Wales
Job Type: Contract
Duration: Long term contract opportunity
Rates: Excellent rates available (inside scope of IR35)

Why live and work in Machynlleth, Wales?

Work in a place where your career and lifestyle can thrive together - surrounded by the spectacular Dyfi Valley, a strong community, rich Welsh culture and some of the best opportunities for outdoor adventure in Mid Wales.
Outstanding natural environment with endless mountains, forests and rivers
A slower, more relaxed pace of life offering a strong, welcoming community with work life balance
A place where you can make a difference
Exceptional outdoor lifestyle with a wealth of hiking, countryside walks and mountain biking and cycling routes
Vibrant arts, culture and Welsh heritage
A strong focus on sustainability and quality of life

Are you an experienced Production Manager with a passion for leading high-performing teams in a safety-critical engineering environment?

We are recruiting on behalf of a leading organisation in the rail rolling stock industry for an ambitious Senior Production Manager to oversee production and maintenance operations at its Machynlleth depot. This is an excellent opportunity to play a key role in delivering fleet reliability, operational excellence, and continuous improvement within a growing and innovative business.

The Role
As Senior Production Manager, you will lead the delivery of production and maintenance activities, ensuring resources are effectively managed to maximise fleet availability while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and performance.
Youll provide leadership to multidisciplinary teams, drive operational improvements, and work closely with engineering, planning, and supply chain functions to ensure maintenance programmes are delivered safely, efficiently, and on schedule.

Key Responsibilities
Lead, motivate, and develop production and maintenance teams to achieve operational objectives.
Drive a strong health, safety, and quality culture across the depot.
Plan and coordinate maintenance activities to maximise fleet availability and operational performance.
Manage production schedules, resources, and depot performance against key business targets.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives to enhance productivity, reliability, and efficiency.
Monitor KPIs, production performance, and maintenance outputs to support informed decision-making.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure materials, resources, and operational requirements are aligned.
Ensure all work complies with industry regulations, engineering standards, and company procedures.

About You
Were looking for a confident and proactive leader with a strong background in production, maintenance, or engineering management within a safety-critical environment.

You will ideally bring:
Experience leading production or maintenance teams within the rail industry, although candidates from other heavy engineering sectors will also be considered.
Proven people management and operational leadership experience.
Strong planning, organisational, and problem-solving skills.
A good understanding of engineering maintenance principles and asset reliability.
Experience working with maintenance management or ERP systems.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
A relevant engineering qualification (Level 6 or above is desirable, although equivalent experience will be considered).
Personal Track Safety (PTS) certification is advantageous, or a willingness to obtain it.