Manufacturing Team Lead

About the Role

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow; we are creating it. From cutting-edge defence technology to ground-breaking innovations, our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Manufacturing Team Lead at our Haslar site, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

As a Manufacturing Team Lead, you will make a tangible difference by enabling the safe, high-quality, and on-time delivery of complex hardware while developing a skilled, resilient, and engaged workshop team that continually improves how we work. Day-to-day, you will lead and support workshop activities across machining and assembly, manage people performance and wellbeing, resolve operational and technical challenges, and work closely with engineering and operations teams to drive continuous improvement, capability growth, and delivery success.

Your Responsibilities Will Include:

• Lead and develop workshop staff to deliver complex machining and assembly activities safely and to schedule.
• Own day-to-day manufacturing delivery, providing technical and operational support to the workshop.
• Drive a strong health and safety culture through risk assessment, COSHH, and active hazard management.
• Manage performance, capability development, SQEP, and succession planning within the team.
• Work collaboratively with engineering, operations, and project teams to support delivery and problem-solving.
• Champion continuous improvement to improve quality, efficiency, and team resilience.

Essential Experience:

• Proven experience leading and managing manufacturing or workshop teams.
• Significant experience working within low-volume, bespoke, or R&D manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of machining, assembly, and close-tolerance manufacturing processes.
• Experience operating within regulated or safety-critical industries.
• Demonstrated capability in performance management, coaching, and developing technical staff.
• Experience planning resources, priorities, and workload to meet delivery commitments.

Essential Qualifications:

• Relevant apprenticeship in a mechanical, manufacturing, or production engineering discipline or demonstrable equivalent experience.
• HNC or HND in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or Production Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education; provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn, then we would like to hear from you.

Location and Hours:

This role is 37 hours per week, based on site at our Haslar site.

About Haslar:

Our facilities at the Haslar Marine Technology Park are state-of-the-art, including our ocean basin rotating arm and marine towing tank, offering an unparalleled environment for testing and refining designs. Our marine technology offers our global customers a service to deliver constrained hydrodynamic model tests of surface ships, submarines, offshore structures, and renewable energy devices.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines, and experiences enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued, and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture: www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

Our Benefits:

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Generous holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days.
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance, and Dental Insurance.
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets, and much more.
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and the local community.

Our Recruitment Process:

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed. Applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which means factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)