Production Team Leader-899

This role oversees the daily capture of downtime issues and works closely with the Supervisor to implement lean initiatives and develop a continuous improvement culture that creates continuous production workflow.

Working Hours: Monday to Thursday 7:30am to 4:30pm and Friday 7:30am to 12:30pm

• Previous supervisory/team leader role is advantageous
• Knowledge of and experience with mechanical and electronic assembly techniques
• Familiarity with Windows, including PC based firmware programming equipment/techniques
• Ability to multitask, time manage and work independently
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary project team to drive projects through to completion
• Ability to adjust in a fast-paced environment to support productions needs
• To be able to contribute to lean implementation activities and follow standard works

• Ensure all team members are safe and are working in line with PPE requirements and safe systems of work
• Lead daily Tier 1 meetings and ensure team participates in continuous improvement initiatives that address throughput issues; participate in Tier 2 meetings with other team leaders and supervisors
• Motivate team members and perform quarterly appraisals or 1-to-1 meetings
• Communicate goals and objectives to team members and utilize resources adequately
• Communicate team briefs to all team members on a regular basis
• Assist management with hiring and training new starters, and provide performance assessments
• Develop strategies to promote team member adherence to company and industry regulations
• Conduct Return to Work interviews and disciplinary actions
• Responsible for the Health & Safety of your work area and your team members. Including, the review and upkeep of all risk assessments, identifying H&S training requirements, providing inductions to new team members. Dealing with PPE issues and H&S breaches, undertaking regular H&S inspections and accident reporting.
• Undertake the role of Fire Marshal for your work area and team members. Including regular checks for hazards and issues, completion of fire risk assessment actions, ensuring all people in your area are aware of evacuation procedures and drawing their attention to hazardous practices.

• Manage the flow of work within the team to achieve daily production targets and be on-hand to address any issues that affect throughput
• Escalate production flow issues to the appropriate teams, with a focus on same day fixes where possible
• Lead daily Tier 1 meeting with team to review performance against the production plan and initiate corrective actions and continuous improvement activities to address any throughput issues
• Actively engage in Tier 2 meetings with other team leaders and Supervisor to review daily performance of the entire production floor and agree on key information to communicate to the 2nd shift leadership
• Contribute to lean implementation activities such as cell layout, takt time and planned cycle time data analysis, and generation of job element sheets and standardized work
• Contribute to production output through assembly of products and follow the standard work that outlines guidelines for how much time to spend on and off-process
• Follow the leader standard work that provides guidance on how to train to the TWI standard, maintain SOP updates, and manage time and resources within the team for on process (Assembly) and off-process activities
• Maintain cross-training records for team and implement any training plans provided by the Supervisor
• Manage team resources, adhering to policies on holiday approvals and allocated time for off-process activities
• Monitor 5S activities to ensure that they are happening and that all tools and jigs are correct
• Be available to work overtime occasionally to allow for joint team leader meetings across both shifts

We are the gold standard with optics laboratories worldwide. There are now 22 facilities across the world in 9 countries. Here in Ely, we are responsible for the Motion Control and Optical Tables product line.

Our purpose-built facility is just 12 miles from Cambridge.

At Thorlabs there are lots of opportunities for inhouse customised training and development that accelerates your career progression. We have free onsite parking, free refreshments, as well as an entertainment area in our large canteen for your enjoyment.

Competitive Salary to attract the best, plus an excellent benefits package including pension, health care, 25 days holiday plus public holidays.

This is a rolling campaign, so we will actively interview applicants. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

This role does not currently meet the UK Visas and Immigration criteria for obtaining a Skilled Worker Visa we are therefore unable to accept applications that require employer sponsorship in order to obtain a Skilled Worker Visa.

We would encourage all internal applicants to inform their line managers of their interest in this position.