Production Team Leader

About the role

The Production Team Leader will oversee day‑to‑day manufacturing operations in a designated production area, ensuring safety, quality and on‑time delivery. Working in a regulated defence environment, the role collaborates closely with Planning, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance and Training to drive performance and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Lead daily production execution for the assigned shift, meeting safety, quality and delivery targets.
• Plan and manage staffing, allocate operators, match skills to workload and meet takt time.
• Run tier meetings, maintain visual management boards (SQDC) and resolve blockers with data‑driven actions.
• Ensure product quality through standard work compliance, in‑process checks, traceability and immediate defect containment.
• Coach and develop operators, coordinate onboarding, certification and re‑certification with Training/DOJO.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives such as 5S, waste removal, defect reduction and process stabilization.
• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to address downtime, conduct root‑cause analysis and implement preventive actions.

Required profile

• 7‑8+ years of experience in manufacturing environments.
• At least 2 years of experience leading shop‑floor teams with shift or area responsibility.
• Strong understanding of production KPIs (output, schedule adherence, FPY, scrap/rework, OTD/OTIF).
• Proven ability to work in ramp‑up contexts with changing priorities and high execution intensity.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills for multicultural teams.

Required skills

• 5S methodology
• Root‑cause analysis techniques (5‑Why, 8D/A3)
• Defect containment processes
• Continuous improvement tools
• Visual management (SQDC boards)
• Production KPI monitoring