Production Delivery Manager
Subcontract & International Manufacturing
RLT Group Widnes UK On-site, Full-time
£50,000 – £60,000 (DOE) + benefits
Who are RLT Group?
RLT Group is a family business which retains a strong family culture based on three core values; Win Together, Push Through Pain, Do The Extraordinary. We have a very open and transparent team spirit, flat structure and place huge value on the traits of the Ideal Team Player; Humble, Hungry and Smart.
RLT Marine Designs and produces innovative lighting products to maximise energy saving in the marine market with production delivered through a network of subcontract manufacturers in the UK and Europe. RLT Onsite maximises efficiency for mobile engineers by delivering products directly through the SimplyOnsite distribution system — reducing time spent collecting goods and keeping engineers on site where they belong. We operate from a central distribution hub in Widnes.
The role
As we expand production into new European locations, we’re looking for a hands-on Production Manager to own the day-to-day running of our outsourced manufacturing — keeping suppliers producing to quality, on time, and on plan taking projects from initial approval to delivery.
This is a delivery-focused role helping us develop the sourcing strategy and select the suppliers. One of the primary outcomes of this role will be getting manufacturers set up, planning and forecasting their output, managing the flow of goods across borders, and keeping quality tight.
What you’ll do
- Manage 4–5 subcontract manufacturers across the UK and Europe — owning their day-to-day performance against agreed cost, quality and on-time-delivery targets, and acting as their single point of contact and accountability.
- Run production planning and forecasting across the supplier base — turning demand into supplier schedules and managing lead times, capacity, components and stock.
- Set up and ramp new EU production (e.g. Poland, Bulgaria, Turkey) — supplier onboarding, first-article approval and quality sign-off, through to stable volume production.
- Coordinate import/export across these supply lines — commercial invoices, customs documentation, commodity codes and INCOTERMS — directing freight forwarders and customs brokers to keep shipments moving compliantly and on time.
- Own quality — carry out and oversee quality and technical-specification checks, including regular travel to international suppliers for on-site QC audits and issue resolution.
- Track and report supplier and production performance against straightforward delivery and quality KPIs.
What we’re looking for (essential)
- Solid production or manufacturing management experience, ideally in an engineering or metalworking and electronics environment.
- Proven experience managing subcontract / outsourced manufacturers — not just an in-house line.
- Strong production planning and forecasting skills including project management.
- A practical, working understanding of import/export: customs documentation, INCOTERMS, and how to manage freight forwarders and brokers. You don’t need to be a customs specialist, but you must be confident running cross-border goods movement.
- Willingness and ability to regularly travel internationally for supplier visits and QC.
Desirable
- Experience setting up or ramping production at new suppliers or sites.
- Exposure to EU supply, and ideally non-EU customs-union markets such as Turkey.
- Familiarity with Lean / JIT principles and production-planning systems.
The person
- Hands-on and accountable — happy to be the single point of ownership for getting suppliers delivering, and to roll up your sleeves where needed.
- Gets results from manufacturers you don’t directly employ — strong on relationships, influence and follow-through.
- Pragmatic, organised and resilient, calm under pressure, with a sharp eye for quality and documentation.
- Humble, hungry and smart — no ego, high accountability
- Customer-focused mindset that is willing to do the extraordinary
- Comfortable challenging the norm and “taking the bull by the horns”
- Calm under pressure with ability to work with other colleagues to demanding deadlines
- Commercially aware and deeply operationally credible
What’s on offer
- £50,000 – £60,000 depending on experience
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays
- On-site parking
- The opportunity to architect operations in a business with serious growth ambition
First 6–12 months — what good looks like
- All 4–5 subcontract manufacturers running to a reliable production plan, with on-time delivery at over 95%
- EU and UK production stabilised and scalable for the future
- Cross-border shipments moving smoothly, with clean documentation and minimal delays.
Pay: From £50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
