Manufacturing Supervisor

Are you an experienced Woodworking Machine Operator looking to take the next step into supervision, or an established Production Supervisor who still enjoys being hands-on?
We're recruiting for a Manufacturing Supervisor to join a well-established woodshop near Pickering that is experiencing significant growth.
This is a fantastic opportunity to take responsibility for a small team within a busy wood panel manufacturing department, combining practical machinery operation with organising workloads, supporting colleagues and keeping production running smoothly.

You don't necessarily need previous supervisory experience. We're equally interested in hearing from skilled woodworking professionals ready to step up, or experienced manufacturing supervisors with a strong machinery background who are keen to learn the woodworking side of the operation.

What you'll be doing
Working closely with the Department Manager, you'll help oversee a team of approximately 5 to 6 people while remaining actively involved in production.
Your responsibilities will include:

• Working hands-on alongside the team, operating woodworking and panel processing machinery.
• Organising daily workloads and allocating team members across machines and work areas.
• Keeping production moving efficiently and helping maximise machine utilisation.
• Supporting, guiding and developing team members with different levels of experience.
• Monitoring production progress and helping the department meet its daily targets.
• Ensuring products meet the required quality standards.
• Maintaining safe working practices, good housekeeping and correct machinery operation.
• Identifying and resolving practical production issues to minimise disruption.
• Working with the Department Manager to improve workflow, organisation and overall efficiency.

What we're looking for
This opportunity could suit an experienced Woodshop Supervisor, Production Supervisor, Workshop Team Leader or a skilled Machine Operator looking to progress.
We're particularly interested in candidates who have:

• Previous experience operating machinery within a factory or manufacturing environment.
• Strong practical woodworking skills, or supervisory experience within a relevant non-food machining environment.
• The confidence to organise workloads, support colleagues and keep production on track.
• A hands-on approach and willingness to operate machinery alongside the team.
• Good problem-solving skills and an understanding of production flow.
• The ability to communicate effectively and lead by example.
• Flexibility around working hours to support departmental production requirements.

Experience operating CNC routers, panel saws, beam saws, edge banders or similar woodworking machinery would be particularly beneficial, although experience across other manufacturing machinery will also be considered.
Previous supervisory experience would be advantageous, but isn't essential if you have the practical skills, confidence and motivation to take on more responsibility.
What's on offer?

• Salary up to £38,000, depending on experience.
• Permanent position working 40 hours per week.
• Opportunity to join an established manufacturer experiencing significant business growth.
• Genuine opportunity to progress into supervision from a hands-on manufacturing background.
• A varied role combining practical woodworking, production organisation and team leadership.
• The chance to make a real difference to how a busy manufacturing department operates.
• Potential longer-term career development as the business continues to expand.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working with machinery, takes pride in keeping production running efficiently and wants to play a bigger part in leading a team.

If you're an experienced woodworking professional ready for the next step, or a hands-on Manufacturing Supervisor looking for a new opportunity, we'd love to hear from you.