Technical Manager

Location: North West England
Salary: £50,000 + Benefits
Sector: Metal Manufacturing
Type: Permanent, Full-Time

The Opportunity

A leading UK manufacturer is seeking an experienced Technical Manager to lead its engineering and technical function. Supplying demanding sectors including aerospace, energy and industrial engineering, the business is investing in continuous improvement, new product introduction, and manufacturing excellence.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a metallurgist, foundry engineer or technical manager who enjoys solving complex production challenges, leading technical teams, and driving improvements in quality, yield, and operational performance.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Operations Director, you will lead a multidisciplinary technical team responsible for process control, tooling, manufacturing engineering, and new product introduction across a complex precision casting operation.

You will act as the senior technical authority within the business, ensuring manufacturing processes are technically robust, customer requirements are achieved, and continuous improvement initiatives deliver measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the technical engineering team.
• Provide technical leadership across all manufacturing processes, including tooling, wax, shell, foundry, and finishing operations.
• Drive continuous improvement activities focused on reducing scrap, improving yield, and increasing Right First Time performance.
• Manage New Product Introduction (NPI) activities from tooling through to production approval.
• Oversee tooling design, procurement, modification, and implementation.
• Lead Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations and resolution of technical issues.
• Analyse production performance data and identify opportunities for process optimisation.
• Ensure products consistently meet customer drawings, specifications, and technical requirements.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Quality, Commercial, and Production teams to deliver technical solutions.
• Support the investigation of non-conforming products and implementation of corrective actions.
• Develop technical standards, process documentation, and manufacturing controls.
• Coach, mentor, and develop technical and production personnel.

Candidate Profile

We are interested in individuals with experience in manufacturing environments where metallurgy, materials engineering, casting, forging, machining, heat treatment, or other complex production processes are critical to product quality.

Suitable backgrounds may include:

• Technical Manager
• Metallurgical Engineer
• Foundry Engineer
• Manufacturing Engineer
• Process Engineer
• Production Engineering Manager
• Quality Engineering Manager

Essential Requirements

• Degree, HND, or equivalent qualification in Metallurgy, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience leading technical or engineering teams within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of root cause analysis and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, specifications, and customer requirements.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong project management and organisational capability.
• Proven ability to drive process improvements and solve complex manufacturing problems.

Desirable Experience

• Investment casting, precision casting, foundry, forging, or metal manufacturing experience.
• Knowledge of aerospace or other highly regulated industries.
• Experience with RCCA, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, SPC, or DOE methodologies.
• Understanding of quality management systems and customer technical approvals.

Package

• Competitive salary
• Company pension
• Private healthcare
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Long-term career progression opportunities
• Opportunity to influence manufacturing strategy and technical direction

Why Apply?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a well-established manufacturing business where you will have genuine influence over technical strategy, process improvement, quality performance, and new product introduction while leading a highly visible engineering function.