About Quickslide
Quickslide is a large manufacturer of sliding sash windows, casement windows and doors, alongside a suite of aluminium products. The business has a strong focus on operational excellence, customer satisfaction, data, systems, automation and continuous improvement.
We are not looking for someone to simply keep production moving. We are looking for a high-calibre production leader who can take ownership, raise standards, develop people and make the business better.
This role would suit someone who has already operated in a structured manufacturing environment and can demonstrate that they have improved performance, not just managed daily output.
The Role
As Production Shift Manager, you will take ownership of shift performance across output, quality, safety, labour efficiency, attendance, communication and delivery.
You will be expected to run the shift effectively day to day, but also improve the department over time. This means using production data, shopfloor observation and structured problem-solving to identify issues, challenge inefficiency and deliver measurable improvements.
The successful candidate will be visible on the shopfloor, firm on standards, commercially aware, comfortable with data, and capable of supporting supervisors, team leaders and operators so that existing capability, consistency and accountability continue to strengthen over time.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
· Take ownership of daily production performance across one or more production areas.
· Ensure output, quality, safety and delivery targets are consistently achieved.
· Manage labour planning, shift balance, absence, attendance and resource deployment.
· Use production data, downtime information, quality trends and labour performance to identify problems and drive action.
· Improve labour efficiency, workflow, handovers, communication and accountability.
· Coach and develop supervisors, team leaders and operators.
· Address poor performance, poor behaviours and weak standards promptly and professionally.
· Maintain and actively use training matrices to improve flexibility and cross-training.
· Support reduction in rework, remakes, quality issues, missed orders and operational disruption.
· Ensure SOPs, PPE and H&S standards are followed consistently.
· Lead practical continuous improvement activity that delivers measurable benefit.
· Strengthen the existing production team by improving consistency, capability, ownership and alignment with Quickslide’s standards.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who can evidence more than basic production supervision. The right candidate will have:
· Proven experience leading teams in a fast-paced manufacturing, production or operational environment.
· Experience managing output, KPIs, quality, safety, labour planning and daily operational performance.
· A clear understanding of production efficiency, not just production output.
· The ability to use data to identify issues, challenge assumptions and make better decisions.
· Evidence of improving a department, process, team or performance area in a previous role.
· Strong people-management skills, including coaching, performance management and team development.
· Practical experience of continuous improvement and Lean tools or methods, such as 5S, standard work, visual management, root-cause analysis, SMED, waste reduction or similar.
· Confidence challenging poor standards, underperformance and inefficient working practices.
· A practical, visible and hands-on leadership style, balanced with the ability to step back and improve the system.
· Good computer literacy and confidence using production/reporting systems.
· A strong understanding of health and safety in a manufacturing environment.
Candidate Evidence Required
At interview, candidates should be prepared to discuss specific examples of where they have:
· Improved output, quality, efficiency, safety or delivery performance.
· Reduced waste, downtime, rework, labour inefficiency or operational disruption.
· Used data or reporting to identify a problem and take action.
· Applied Lean or continuous improvement techniques in a practical manufacturing environment.
· Improved production efficiency without simply adding labour, overtime or agency support.
· Developed supervisors, team leaders or operators.
· Set KPIs or development objectives for people reporting into them.
· Sustained improvements after implementation.
· Made a previous department or business better as a direct result of their leadership.
Important: If your experience is mainly limited to maintaining daily output or supervising people without wider ownership of cost, quality, labour, data, improvement and people development, this is unlikely to be the right role.
What Success Looks Like
· Consistent achievement of production output and OTIF targets.
· Improved labour efficiency and better use of resource.
· Reduced rework, remakes, repeat quality issues and missed orders.
· Stronger shift handovers and clearer escalation.
· Better visibility of risks, delays, downtime and deviations from plan.
· Improved training flexibility and cross-skilling.
· Stronger accountability from supervisors, team leaders and operators.
· Safer, more controlled and better organised production areas.
· Continuous improvement activity that delivers measurable benefit.
· A department that continues to improve because of clear leadership, stronger routines and better use of people, systems and data.
Personal Attributes
You will be:
· Accountable and willing to take ownership.
· Commercially aware and conscious of the cost of poor production performance.
· Calm under pressure, but firm on standards.
· Visible, approachable and respected on the shopfloor.
· Data-led and improvement-focused.
· Comfortable with high expectations and regular performance review.
· Able to move beyond firefighting into structured improvement.
· Proactive, resilient and solution-focused.
· Committed to developing people and supporting continuous improvement.
Benefits
· Company pension
· Sick pay
· Bereavement leave
· Company events
· Cycle to work scheme
· Free parking / on-site parking
· Referral programme
Requirements
· Manufacturing leadership experience: required
· Continuous improvement experience: required
· Practical Lean manufacturing knowledge or training: strongly preferred
· Experience managing production KPIs, labour planning and team performance: strongly preferred
· First Aid trained or willing to become a First Aider
· Must be able to reliably commute to Brighouse, HD6 4BW
Work Location
In person — Brighouse, West Yorkshire
Pay: Up to £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Bereavement leave
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Sick pay
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Brighouse HD6 4BW: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Lean manufacturing: 3 years (required)
- Leadership: 2 years (required)
- Continuous improvement: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person
