Composites Manager

• Build working relationships with your counterparts at our established production plants across Europe key learning of proven composite processes, tooling, lay-up and test methods.

• Lead knowledge-transfer exercises to capture, validate and adapt existing composite build processes, work instructions and lessons learned into your facility.

• Represent this facility's own innovations and lessons learned back into the network, so best practice flows in both directions.

Supply chain and outsourcing

• Work with Procurement/Supply Chain and Manufacturing Engineering to select material and outsourcing partners — resin, fibre, core and tooling — against cost, quality, lead time and supply security ensuring key component rate achievement is protected. Ensuring all outsourced materials and components meet quality standards.

Team build and leadership

• Recruit, build and lead the composites unit manufacturing team scaling in line with the production ramp.

• Define the team structure, role profiles, shift pattern and skills matrix; identify training needs and own the training plan.

• Onboard new team members set clear performance expectations and manage performance throughout.

• Build a culture of safety, ownership and continuous improvement within the team.

Quality and test

• Own documentation and quality assurance for the composites area — work instructions, ply-by-ply build records, cure records, batch and material traceability and non-conformance management.

• Own the inspection and test regimes — visual and dimensional inspection, NDT, witness and coupon testing — defining pass/fail criteria, test procedures and data capture ensuring every component that leaves the cell meets specification.

• Partner with the Quality function on root-cause analysis, corrective and preventive action, and non-conformance management and drive measurable improvement in first-pass yield, scrap and rework.

• Ensure the area operates within the relevant quality management system (e.g. AS9100 / ISO 9001) and any applicable safety or export-control requirements.

Production delivery

• Own the daily, weekly and monthly output of the composites area against the production plan delivering to schedule, to quality and to cost.

• Ensure production rate as volumes ramp is achieved, identifying and resolving constraints in real time.

• Run a structured day-start / shift routine with clear KPIs across safety, quality, delivery, cost and people.

• Plan and balance capacity across material preparation, lay-up, cure, trim, inspection and finishing.

Continuous improvement

• Own the lean operating system for the area: 5S, standard work, visual management and structured problem-solving and Kaizen.

• Lead improvement projects with measurable gains in safety, quality, throughput, lead time and cost.

• Use data to drive decisions, and champion a data-led approach across the team.

Health, safety and compliance

• Hold ultimate accountability for the safety of everyone working in the composites area, including resin, solvent and prepreg handling, cutting, trimming and cure operations.

• Ensure full compliance with UK health and safety legislation, COSHH for resins, hardeners and solvents, dust and fume extraction, fire safety around prepreg, ovens and autoclaves, and site procedures.

• Ensure correct PPE, handling and storage controls for composite materials, and safe operation of cutting, trimming and cure equipment.

What You'll Bring

Essential

• Experience in composites manufacture — aerospace, automotive, marine, motorsport, UAV/model aircraft or similar structural composite products.

• Practical, hands-on experience of both wet lay-up and pre-preg lay-up processes, including laminate, resin, fibre and core material selection and control.

• Experience in building a new manufacturing cell, line or facility including layout design, equipment selection, process definition and ramp to rate.

• Working knowledge of mechanical and manual trimming and finishing methods for composite components.

• A track record of recruiting, building and retaining a shop-floor or workshop team.

• Working knowledge of quality systems, documentation and material traceability in a regulated or precision-engineered environment.

• Practical continuous improvement experience: Lean, 5S, standard work, structured problem-solving.

• Confidence with ERP/MES systems and shop-floor data.

Desirable

• Experience working across a multi-site or multi-country manufacturing network, including transferring processes or best practice between plants.

• Comfortable with European travel and working with colleagues across languages and sites.

• Experience with additive manufacturing / 3D printing as a production support capability.

• Experience in aerospace, defence, motorsport or automotive composite structures manufacture.

• Experience commissioning a new factory, cell or line as part of a capacity expansion.

• Six Sigma Green Belt or above.

• Engineering qualification (HNC / HND / Degree in Composites, Mechanical, Manufacturing or related discipline) — or equivalent demonstrated experience.

• Eligible for UK security clearance (SC) if the role sits within a defence-related programme.