Role Overview
The Head of Production at Loughborough is responsible for the safe, efficient, and compliant delivery of all rolling stock maintenance, overhaul, and modification activities across facility operations. This role provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure production outputs align with customer requirements, contractual obligations, and rail industry standards.
Working closely with planning, engineering, supply chain, and customer stakeholders, the Head of Production drives high levels of availability, optimises depot performance, and ensures that all activities are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standards of safety and quality.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage all production and depot operations, ensuring safe and efficient delivery of maintenance activities
- Develop and implement production strategies aligned with operational and business objectives
- Ensure alignment between production plans, resource availability, and customer fleet equirements
- Drive a strong safety culture and ensure full compliance with rail industry standards and regulations
- Oversee resource planning, including labour, materials, and facilities, to optimise depot capacity and performance
- Collaborate with planning and supply chain teams to ensure availability of materials and effective scheduling of work
- Monitor production performance, identifying risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities or improvement
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance productivity, quality, and cost efficiency
- Engage with customers and key stakeholders to ensure delivery against contractual commitments and expectations
- Provide leadership, development, and direction to production teams, fostering a high-performance culture
- Delivery of all maintenance, overhaul, and modification activities in line with agreed plans and customer SLAs
- Achievement of fleet availability, reliability, and performance targets where applicable
- Reduction in delays, rework, and unplanned downtime
- Continuous improvement in operational performance and service delivery
Candidate Profile
- Extensive experience in production, maintenance, or depot operations within the rail industry or a similar safety-critical environment
- Strong background in rolling stock maintenance, heavy engineering, or asset management
- In-depth understanding of rail industry standards, compliance, and safety requirements
- Experience managing complex operational programmes and delivering against customer contracts
Skills and Competencies
- Strong leadership and people management capability
- Excellent operational and commercial awareness
- Ability to develop and execute production and operational strategies
- Strong understanding of maintenance planning, depot operations, and resource management
Personal Attributes
- Safety-first mindset with a strong commitment to compliance and quality
- Decisive, resilient, and able to lead in a fast-paced operational environment
- Adaptable and forward-thinking, with a focus on continuous improvement
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