Description
Head of Production Engineering
Department: Production Engineering
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight, Bembridge
- Employment type: Permanent
- Salary: £55,000 - £70,000
- Standard Hours: Flexible start / 40 hours per week
- Location: Bembridge, Isle of Wight
The Head of Production Engineering is responsible for leading production engineering and manufacturing engineering activities in support of Britten-Norman’s aircraft manufacturing and modification operations.
The role ensures safe, compliant, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing processes across aircraft assembly, structures, systems installation, and component manufacture. It combines hands-on engineering leadership with team management to support production delivery, continuous improvement, and regulatory compliance within a low-volume, high-complexity aerospace environment.
The role ensures safe, compliant, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing processes across aircraft assembly, structures, systems installation, and component manufacture. It combines hands-on engineering leadership with team management to support production delivery, continuous improvement, and regulatory compliance within a low-volume, high-complexity aerospace environment.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop Production Engineering teams
- Set engineering priorities aligned with production schedules, aircraft delivery milestones, and business objectives.
- Allocate engineering resources to support assembly lines, modification programmes, and NPI activity.
- Promote a culture of safety, compliance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Production & Operations Support
- Provide day-to-day engineering support to aircraft assembly, systems installation, and modification activities.
- Resolve production issues impacting safety, quality, cost, or delivery, ensuring robust root cause analysis and corrective action.
- Support production planning by improving workflow, line balance, and capacity utilisation.
- Monitor and improve key metrics such as delivery performance, labour efficiency, and schedule adherence..
Manufacturing & Production Engineering
- Develop, maintain, and optimise manufacturing processes, routings, tooling, and work instructions for aircraft and components.
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI), aircraft variants, design changes, and industrialisation activities.
- Ensure manufacturing documentation is compliant with Part 21, Part 145 (where applicable), and internal procedures.
- Drive standardisation and best practice across production and engineering functions.
Continuous Improvement & Cost Control
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives appropriate to low-volume aerospace manufacturing (Lean, Kaizen, problem-solving)
- Reduce rework, non-conformances, and manufacturing waste while maintaining airworthiness and quality standards
- Identify opportunities to improve build efficiency, flow, and cost without compromising compliance or safety
- Support capital investment cases for tooling, fixtures, and equipment
Tooling, Equipment & Automation
- Oversee the specification, design, and introduction of jigs, fixtures, and manufacturing aids for aircraft production
- Work closely with Maintenance and Facilities to ensure equipment availability and safe operation
- Support selective automation and digital manufacturing solutions where they add value in a high-mix environment
Quality, Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure manufacturing processes meet Britten-Norman quality standards and regulatory requirements
- Work closely with Quality and Compliance to support audits, investigations, and corrective actions
- Support root cause analysis for non-conformances, concessions, and production escapes
- Promote a strong safety culture across all manufacturing and engineering activities
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Production, and Planning teams
- Support supplier technical issues and manufacturing readiness where required
- Provide engineering input to programme reviews, delivery planning, and operational risk assessments
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Experience in Production Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering within an aerospace manufacturing environment
- Strong understanding of aircraft manufacturing, assembly, structures, or systems installation
- Experience working in a regulated environment (EASA / CAA / Part 21 / Part 145)
- Proven ability to lead engineering teams and support live production
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
Desirable
- Experience in low-volume, high-mix aerospace manufacturing
- Knowledge of airworthiness, configuration control, and change management
- Experience with Lean principles applied to aerospace environments
- Familiarity with digital work instructions, MRP/ERP systems, and manufacturing KPIs
Benefits
- 36 annual leave days (inclusive of Bank and Public Holidays)
- Contributory pension scheme with a salary sacrifice option
- Private healthcare scheme
- Flu vaccination
- Dental and optical cover
- Employee Assistance Program
- Support with learning and professional development (courses and licenses)
- Health screening and therapies
- Digital GP
- Referral bonus
There are more than 50,000 engineering jobs:
Subscribe to membership and unlock all jobs
Engineering Jobs
60,000+ jobs from 4,500+ well-funded companies
Updated Daily
New jobs are added every day as companies post them
Refined Search
Use filters like skill, location, etc to narrow results
Become a member
🥳🥳🥳 452 happy customers and counting...
Overall, over 80% of customers chose to renew their subscriptions after the initial sign-up.
To try it out
For active job seekers
For those who are passive looking
Cancel anytime
Frequently Asked Questions
- We prioritize job seekers as our customers, unlike bigger job sites, by charging a small fee to provide them with curated access to the best companies and up-to-date jobs. This focus allows us to deliver a more personalized and effective job search experience.
- We've got over 200,000 jobs from 15,000+ vetted companies. No fake or sleazy jobs here!
- We aggregate jobs from 15,000+ companies' career pages, so you can be sure that you're getting the most up-to-date and relevant jobs.
- We're the only job board *for* software engineers, *by* software engineers… in case you needed a reminder! We add thousands of new jobs daily and offer powerful search filters just for you. 🛠️
- Every single hour! We add 2,000-3,000 new jobs daily, so you'll always have fresh opportunities. 🚀
- Typically, job searches take 3-6 months. EchoJobs helps you spend more time applying and less time hunting. 🎯
- Check daily! We're always updating with new jobs. Set up job alerts for even quicker access. 📅
What Fellow Engineers Say