Head of Global Manufacturing Capability & Training

TECHNE is supporting a rapidly scaling European space technology company developing advanced satellite systems for government, defence, and commercial customers.

As its manufacturing network expands internationally, one challenge is becoming critical: building enough trained and certified people to support production across multiple sites.

The business is now creating a standalone manufacturing capability and training function for the first time and is looking for a senior leader to build and own it.

Role: Head of Global Manufacturing Capability & Training

Location: Espoo, Finland

Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Work Policy: Predominantly Onsite

Package: Competitive + Relocation Support

Role Purpose:

You will define how manufacturing employees are trained, qualified, and certified across a global production network.

The first priority is to identify capability gaps and reduce the training burden within production teams. From there, you will establish the first dedicated training centre in Finland and create a repeatable model for international sites.

This is a build role. The standards, curriculum, certification framework, and operating model are still to be defined.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a capability and training gap analysis across the manufacturing network.
• Build structured training, qualification, and certification programmes.
• Turn specialist production knowledge into repeatable, teachable processes.
• Establish the first manufacturing training centre in Finland.
• Define how competence is assessed, recorded, and maintained.
• Transfer training responsibility from production teams into a dedicated function.
• Build the framework for regional competence centres.

Experience Required:

• Experience building or leading a technical training function, competence centre, manufacturing academy, or similar capability.
• Background within high-tech, hardware, or advanced manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of production environments and workforce capability.
• Experience translating technical processes into structured training and certification.
• Comfortable building a new function from the ground up.

Relevant backgrounds include aerospace, defence, semiconductor, capital equipment, battery manufacturing, medical devices, precision engineering, and industrial automation.

Why this opportunity:

• Build and own a new global function.
• Define how manufacturing capability scales across an international production network.
• Establish the first training centre, then help replicate the model globally.
• Work directly with senior manufacturing leadership.
• Join a space technology business entering a phase of international growth.
• Relocation support is available for candidates moving to Finland.

If you have built training or competence capability within a high-tech manufacturing environment and want to define the function rather than inherit it, please get in touch for a confidential discussion.