Workshop Manager – High-End Bespoke Furniture & Architectural Joinery
Location: Glossop, Derbyshire
Salary: £50,000–£70,000 per year, depending on experience
Job type: Full-time, permanent
Working pattern: Monday to Friday, based at our Glossop factory
About Hetherington Newman
Hetherington Newman designs, manufactures and installs high-end bespoke furniture and architectural joinery for exceptional residential projects across the UK and internationally.
Our work includes bespoke kitchens, dressing rooms, libraries, media rooms, staircases, architectural panelling and other complex, one-off joinery.
Everything is manufactured in-house at our Glossop factory, where traditional cabinetmaking and craftsmanship are combined with modern machinery and production methods to deliver work of an exceptional standard.
We are now looking for an experienced Workshop Manager to take full ownership of the day-to-day performance, manufacturing programme, productivity, quality and continued development of our factory.
The role
This is a senior, hands-on management role for someone who understands bespoke furniture and architectural joinery, can lead a team of skilled craftspeople and knows how to deliver complex projects on time, within the allocated manufacturing hours and to exacting quality standards.
You will manage the workshop team and oversee production from the release of technical drawings through manufacture, quality control and handover for installation.
Working closely with our project managers, CAD team, purchasing department and senior management, you will ensure that labour, materials and production information are available when required and that potential problems are identified and resolved before they affect the programme.
You will be responsible for creating a positive, well-organised and accountable working environment in which high standards of craftsmanship, productivity and teamwork are consistently maintained.
Key responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include:
- Producing, maintaining and taking ownership of the manufacturing schedule, ensuring it remains accurate, achievable and up to date.
- Planning workshop capacity, labour and resources against confirmed projects and the wider order pipeline.
- Organising workshop personnel and allocating work according to individual skills, experience and project requirements.
- Leading daily production meetings and setting clear priorities for each department and team member.
- Monitoring progress against the manufacturing programme and taking early action where projects begin to fall behind.
- Ensuring each project is completed within its allocated manufacturing hours.
- Investigating variances against estimated hours and implementing corrective action where required.
- Forecasting labour requirements, capacity constraints and potential gaps in the manufacturing programme.
- Reviewing technical drawings and production information before projects are released into manufacture.
- Ensuring missing information, design queries, material shortages and technical risks are identified and resolved promptly.
- Working closely with the CAD, project management, purchasing and installation teams to maintain an efficient flow of information and materials.
- Maintaining robust quality-control procedures throughout the manufacturing process.
- Ensuring completed work is fully inspected, signed off, protected and ready for delivery or installation.
- Monitoring and reducing rework, remakes, damage, material waste and avoidable non-productive hours.
- Managing the daily operation of the workshop and coordinating effectively with the spray-finishing department.
- Maintaining high standards of factory organisation, housekeeping, storage and care of completed work.
- Ensuring machinery and workshop equipment are properly maintained, serviced and operated safely.
- Managing holidays, sickness absence and contingency cover to maintain continuity of production.
- Leading, supporting and developing workshop supervisors, bench joiners, machinists and other production staff.
- Setting clear expectations for performance, workmanship, conduct and accountability.
- Conducting performance reviews and appraisals and dealing effectively with performance, conduct and employee-relations matters.
- Supporting the recruitment and induction of new workshop personnel.
- Creating and implementing a structured training and cross-training programme.
- Identifying skills gaps and supporting succession and workforce planning.
- Ensuring strict compliance with health and safety requirements throughout the factory.
- Leading or contributing to project post-mortems and ensuring agreed improvements are implemented.
- Driving continuous improvements in workflow, productivity, communication and manufacturing systems.
- Producing clear management reports covering progress, capacity, productivity, quality, manufacturing hours and operational risks.
- Reporting regularly to the senior management team and escalating significant issues at an early stage.
About you
We are looking for a self-motivated, results-driven and highly organised manager with substantial experience in bespoke furniture, cabinetmaking, architectural joinery or a closely related high-quality manufacturing environment.
You will be a natural leader who can earn the respect of a highly skilled workshop team while setting clear expectations and holding people accountable.
You should combine strong technical knowledge with a commercially aware approach. Exceptional workmanship is essential, but projects must also be completed safely, efficiently, on time and within their allocated hours.
The successful candidate will have:
- Significant practical experience in bespoke furniture, cabinetmaking, joinery or a similar manufacturing environment.
- Proven experience managing a workshop, production department or skilled manufacturing team.
- Strong knowledge of furniture construction, cabinetmaking and architectural joinery.
- The ability to read and interpret detailed technical and production drawings.
- A good understanding of woodworking machinery, hand tools and manufacturing processes.
- Experience creating and managing production schedules.
- The ability to plan multiple bespoke projects with competing deadlines and changing priorities.
- Experience managing project hours, labour efficiency and production performance.
- Strong leadership and people-management skills.
- Experience conducting appraisals and managing performance, absence and employee-relations matters.
- High standards of workmanship and exceptional attention to detail.
- A practical, calm and solutions-focused approach to problems.
- Strong organisational and communication skills.
- The confidence to challenge incomplete information or poor standards where necessary.
- A sound understanding of workshop health and safety requirements.
- Confidence using digital production schedules, reporting tools and project-management systems.
Experience producing luxury residential interiors, bespoke kitchens, fitted furniture, staircases, panelling, veneer work or other complex one-off joinery would be particularly valuable.
Formal qualifications in furniture making, joinery, production management or a related discipline would be advantageous but are not essential where a candidate can demonstrate substantial relevant experience.
What we offer
- Salary of £50,000–£70,000 per year, depending on experience.
- A senior position with genuine responsibility and authority.
- The opportunity to lead and develop a highly skilled manufacturing team.
- Varied and technically challenging bespoke projects.
- The opportunity to shape production systems, standards and the future development of the factory.
- Company pension.
- Private medical insurance.
- Cycle-to-work scheme.
- On-site parking.
- Company events.
- Casual dress.
Application
To apply, please submit your CV together with a brief introduction outlining:
- Your relevant workshop or production-management experience.
- Your experience within bespoke furniture, cabinetmaking or architectural joinery.
- The approximate size and type of teams you have managed.
- Your experience managing production schedules, project hours, productivity and quality.
Applicants must be able to commute reliably to our Glossop factory or be willing to relocate before starting the position.
Work location: In person, Glossop, Derbyshire.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £50,000.00-£70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Glossop, Derbyshire: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Production Scheduling: 5 years (required)
- Production Management: 5 years (required)
- Joinery: 10 years (required)
Work Location: In person
