Hartley & Noble Ltd — Wellingborough
Pay: £12.71 per hour
Location: Leyland Trading Estate, Wellingborough
Hours: Flexible part-time hours, agreed weekly by rota
Minimum guaranteed hours: 8 hours per week
About Us
Hartley & Noble is a small, friendly UK business based in Wellingborough. We design, make, pack and ship specialist pottery equipment used by potters, studios, teachers and retailers across the UK and beyond.
We are a small team, so every person matters. The work we do is practical, hands-on and detail-focused. Our products need to be finished properly, checked properly and sent out looking right, because our customers rely on them in their studios every day.
We are now looking for a reliable, practical and careful Workshop Product Finisher to join our workshop team.
This is not a desk job. It is a hands-on workshop role, working with MDF products, hand tools, machines, dust extraction, quality checks and stock shelves. If you like practical work, don’t mind repetition, and take pride in doing a job properly, this could be a great fit.
Why Work With Us?
Here are a few reasons why this is a good place to work:
- We only work Monday to Thursday, so there is no Friday or weekend working.
- We are a small, friendly team — you won’t be just a number.
- Full training will be given.
- You’ll be doing practical, useful work where accuracy matters.
- Paid 15-minute breaks are included.
- The boss buys everyone lunch on their birthday.
- You’ll be helping make products that are used by real customers every day.
What The Role Is Really About
As a Workshop Product Finisher, you’ll work alongside our CNC Operator and workshop team to help finish MDF pottery products after they have been cut.
Your work will include using hand tools and workshop equipment to finish products, checking quality, keeping your work area clean, and helping load finished stock onto the shelves.
This role would suit someone who is:
- Practical and happy working with their hands.
- Reliable and able to turn up on time.
- Careful with detail.
- Comfortable doing repetitive work.
- Happy working in a small workshop environment.
- Willing to learn.
- Able to follow instructions and work safely.
- Not afraid of a hoover, a bit of dust, or a busy workshop.
Accuracy Matters — But So Does Pace
This is a hands-on finishing role where both quality and productivity matter.
We do not expect you to arrive knowing exactly how quickly each product should be finished. Full training will be given, and we will show you what a good working pace looks like for different products and tasks.
However, once trained, you will be expected to work at a steady and productive pace. That means finishing a reasonable number of items during your shift, while still maintaining good quality and attention to detail.
We are a small team, so everyone’s output matters. If finishing work moves too slowly, it affects stock levels, customer orders and the rest of the workshop.
We will give clear guidance, feedback and support, but this role will suit someone who can stay focused, keep moving, and take pride in getting a good amount of work done properly.
What You’ll Be Doing
Your duties will include:
- Assisting the CNC Operator with woodwork finishing.
- Using hand tools and workshop machinery to finish MDF products.
- Carrying out quality control checks on finished products.
- Loading finished products onto stock shelves.
- Helping off-load wood deliveries when required.
- Helping load wood onto the CNC machine when required.
- Keeping your work area clean and hoovered down to help control dust.
- Following workshop safety procedures.
- Working with care, accuracy and consistency.
This role involves hand-held power tools and machines, which may involve exposure to noise and vibration. It also involves manual handling, including lifting and moving wood and finished products.
Full training will be provided.
What Your Typical Morning Might Look Like
8:45am — Negotiate the speed bumps onto Leyland Trading Estate.
8:50am — Clock in, make a cuppa and have a quick catch-up.
8:55am — Safety boots on, ready for a 9am start.
9:00am — Quick run-through with the CNC Operator and Workshop Supervisor to go through the day’s schedule.
9:02am — Headphones on, playlist selected, and down to work.
10:15am — Bathroom break. You can do this whenever you need to — this is just an example.
11:00am — 15-minute paid break for a phone scroll, a walk around the estate, or a quick chat.
11:15am — Back to finishing and quality checks.
12:15pm — Make a cuppa and drink it while working.
12:50pm — Hoover and tidy your workstation.
12:55pm — Feedback to the CNC Operator on the morning’s work.
1:00pm — Finish for the day.
Every day may vary slightly depending on what products are being made and what the workshop needs.
What A Full Day Might Look Like
If you are working a full day, the morning would follow the pattern above.
1:00pm — Unpaid lunch break. There is no food available on site, so remember to bring something with you.
1:30pm — Quick check-in with the CNC Operator to confirm the afternoon workload.
1:32pm — Back to finishing, checking and loading stock.
2:30pm — Make a cuppa and drink it while working.
3:00pm — 15-minute paid break.
3:15pm — Back to finishing and quality checks.
4:50pm — Hoover and tidy your workstation.
4:55pm — Feedback to the CNC Operator on the day’s work.
5:00pm — Boots off, back to the speed bumps, and home.
Hours And Working Pattern
This is a flexible part-time role because our order volumes can vary from week to week.
We will schedule your hours through our rota system and confirm your hours for the following week in advance.
As a guide:
- Minimum guaranteed hours: 8 hours per week.
- Typical expected hours: around 8–10 hours per week.
- During busier periods, hours may increase.
- The maximum would usually be up to 4 full days per week, working 7.5 hours per day.
- We work Monday to Thursday only.
This role will suit someone who wants flexible part-time work and is happy for their weekly hours to vary depending on order levels and workshop workload.
The Right Person Will Be
You do not need previous experience in this exact role, because full training will be given.
However, you do need to be the right kind of person.
You will need to be:
- Reliable.
- Practical.
- Careful.
- Happy doing repetitive work.
- Comfortable using tools once trained.
- Able to follow instructions.
- Good at spotting small mistakes.
- Willing to keep your workspace clean and tidy.
- Comfortable working in a workshop environment.
- Able to work safely around tools, machines, dust and noise.
- Physically able to lift, move and handle wood and finished products.
- Flexible with weekly working hours.
- Able to work at a steady, productive pace once trained.
- A good team member who helps where they can.
We are not looking for someone who rushes and makes mistakes, but we are also not looking for someone who drifts through the day slowly.
This role probably is not for you if you want fixed full-time hours, want to sit at a desk, avoid physical work, or need every day to be completely different.
But if you like practical work, enjoy getting stuck in, and take pride in doing things properly, we’d like to hear from you.
The Practical Bits
The role is based at our workshop on Leyland Trading Estate in Wellingborough.
Please note:
- The workshop can be cold in winter and warm in summer.
- There may be dust, noise and vibration.
- The role involves manual handling.
- The location is not ideal for public transport, so you’ll need a reliable way to get here.
- Safety boots will be required.
- You’ll be expected to clean down your own work area as part of the job.
- Weekly hours may vary depending on order levels and workshop workload.
How To Apply
If this sounds like the right role for you, please apply through Indeed and answer the short question included with the application.
If your initial application looks like a possible fit, we’ll send you a short Stage Two application form to complete before deciding who to invite to interview.
We do read the answers, so please answer properly and honestly.
Pay: Up to £12.71 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Application question(s):
- Before we move applicants to the next stage, please briefly tell us why this role interests you and why you think you would be a good fit for a small, hands-on workshop team.
Work Location: In person
