The Manufacturing Team Leader (Fabrication & Welding) is a hands-on, working leadership role based on the shop floor. The post holder will continue to work directly on fabrication and welding tasks as a qualified and experienced tradesperson whilst also taking responsibility for leading a small team, overseeing the progress of individual manufacturing orders, and maintaining a safe, organised, and productive working environment.
This role carries specific responsibility for welding quality inspection and sign-off, ensuring all fabricated and welded assemblies produced by the team meet the required standards, specifications, and client requirements before progressing through the production process. The Team Leader is expected to lead by example, set the standard for workmanship, and take personal ownership of every order assigned to their team.
Key Responsibilities
1. Hands-On Fabrication & Welding
- Work directly on fabrication and welding tasks as a productive and skilled member of the team, maintaining the highest standard of workmanship on every job.
- Carry out structural and precision fabrication activities including cutting, forming, fitting, and welding of metallic materials to engineering drawings and specifications.
- Apply a range of welding processes as required by programme specifications — including MIG, TIG, and MMA — to the required standards and quality levels.
- Interpret and work confidently from engineering drawings, weld symbols, material specifications, and work instructions.
- Support and guide less experienced team members in fabrication and welding techniques, demonstrating correct methods and standards on the job.
- Maintain personal tools, welding equipment, and associated PPE in good working order, reporting defects and maintenance requirements promptly.
2. Welding Quality Inspection & Sign-Off
- Act as the team’s qualified welding inspector, taking responsibility for the inspection and acceptance of all welded assemblies produced by the team prior to release to the next stage of production or for client delivery.
- Conduct visual weld inspections in accordance with relevant standards (including BS EN ISO 5817, AWS D1.1, or as specified by the programme) and complete all associated inspection records accurately.
- Review and interpret weld inspection requirements from programme documentation, client specifications, and quality plans, ensuring the team understands and works to these requirements at all times.
- Identify and record non-conformances, completing non-conformance reports (NCRs) and supporting root cause analysis and corrective action to prevent recurrence.
- Liaise with the Operations Director regarding weld inspection outcomes, escalating any systemic or programme-critical quality issues promptly.
- Maintain weld inspection records, certificates of conformity, and traceability documentation in line with ISO 9001 and programme-specific requirements.
- Support the preparation of weld procedure specifications (WPS) and procedure qualification records (PQR) as required, working with the Engineering Manager.
3. Team Leadership & Day-to-Day Supervision
- Take day-to-day responsibility for leading a small team of fabricators and welders on the shop floor, allocating tasks, managing workloads, and ensuring the team remains productive and focused throughout the shift.
- Act as the first point of contact for team members, resolving day-to-day queries and issues quickly and professionally, escalating to the Operations Director where necessary.
- Set a positive example in terms of attitude, timekeeping, effort, and commitment to quality — the standard you set is the standard your team will follow.
- Provide regular, informal feedback and encouragement to team members, recognising good work and addressing performance or conduct issues early and constructively.
- Support the induction and on-the-job training of new team members, ensuring they understand the company’s processes, welding standards, and quality expectations from day one.
4. Order Management & Production Progress
- Take ownership of the individual manufacturing orders assigned to your team, understanding what is required, when it is needed, and what resources are required to complete it.
- Monitor the progress of each order through the fabrication and welding process, identifying any delays, blockers, or quality issues early and taking action to keep work on track.
- Communicate clearly and promptly with the Operations Director and Head of Delivery regarding order progress, raising any risks to delivery schedules as soon as they are identified.
- Ensure all work is completed to the correct drawings, weld procedures, and work instructions, checking your team’s output at key stages and prior to inspection sign-off.
- Maintain accurate production records, job cards, weld maps, and any other documentation required by the quality management system.
- Ensure the correct materials, consumables, and tooling are available for your team’s orders, liaising with the Buyer and stores as required to avoid production delays.
5. Health, Safety & Housekeeping
- Take active responsibility for maintaining a safe working environment for yourself and your team at all times, with particular attention to the specific hazards associated with fabrication and welding activities including fume, UV radiation, heat, fire, and noise.
- Ensure all team members have completed relevant welding and fabrication safety training and use the correct PPE — including welding masks, gloves, and respiratory protection — for each task.
- Conduct or contribute to task-specific risk assessments and ensure the team understands the hazards and controls associated with their work.
- Maintain a clean, tidy, and organised fabrication and welding area at all times, applying 5S or equivalent housekeeping standards.
- Report all accidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions to the Operations Director promptly, completing the required documentation accurately.
- Ensure gas cylinders, welding equipment, and associated plant are stored, handled, and maintained in accordance with safe working practices and relevant regulations.
6. Continuous Improvement
- Actively look for better, safer, and more efficient fabrication and welding methods, raising improvement ideas with the Operations Director and Engineering Manager.
- Contribute to the development and review of weld procedures and fabrication work instructions, sharing practical knowledge and experience to improve quality and efficiency.
- Attend team briefings, production meetings, and toolbox talks as required, contributing actively and feeding back relevant information to the team.
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications & Experience
- Demonstrable practical experience as a skilled fabricator and welder, with a proven track record of producing high-quality welded assemblies to engineering drawings and specifications.
- Qualified welding inspector — holding a recognised inspection qualification such as CSWIP 3.1, AWS CWI, or equivalent.
- Competent in multiple welding processes including MIG, TIG, and MMA, with experience welding a range of materials relevant to defence manufacturing (e.g. mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium).
- Experience working within an ISO 9001 certified quality environment with a good understanding of inspection, documentation, and non-conformance processes.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, weld symbols, and welding procedure specifications.
- A natural ability to lead and organise a small team whilst remaining a productive and hands-on member of the workforce.
- Strong commitment to health and safety with a good understanding of fabrication and welding-specific hazards and controls.
Desirable Qualifications
- Relevant trade apprenticeship, NVQ Level 3, or equivalent qualification in fabrication and welding.
- Experience producing or working to weld procedure specifications (WPS) and procedure qualification records (PQR).
- CSWIP 3.2 Senior Welding Inspector or equivalent advanced inspection qualification.
- IOSH Working Safely or equivalent health and safety qualification.
- First Aid at Work certificate or willingness to obtain.
- Experience within a defence or highly regulated manufacturing environment.
- Familiarity with relevant welding standards including BS EN ISO 5817, BS EN 1090, or AWS D1.1.
Key Competencies
- Technical Excellence — A skilled, qualified fabricator and welder whose workmanship and inspection judgement sets the standard for the team.
- Inspection Integrity — Takes personal responsibility for weld quality and does not release non-conforming work, however small the pressure to do so.
- Hands-On Leadership — Leads from the front, remaining a productive member of the team whilst developing and directing those around them.
- Ownership — Takes full responsibility for their team’s orders, quality, and safe working without needing to be chased or directed.
- Attention to Detail — Checks work thoroughly at every stage and takes pride in getting it right first time.
- Safety Conscious — Understands and actively manages the specific safety risks of fabrication and welding environments.
- Communication — Keeps management informed, gives the team clear direction, and raises issues early.
Pay: £38,000.00-£44,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
