Process Manager

Location: Letchworth, England, United Kingdom
Job Type: Full-time (On-site)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Process Manager to lead and optimise vacuum heat treatment operations within a busy manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for ensuring production processes are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards, while supporting continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives.

The successful candidate will play a key role in managing day-to-day process performance, driving quality improvements, and supporting cross-functional teams to achieve production objectives.

• Manage and oversee vacuum heat treatment processes and daily production activities.
• Set, monitor, and optimise process parameters to ensure consistent product quality.
• Supervise furnace cycles and support equipment performance and reliability.
• Investigate and resolve process deviations, non-conformances, and quality issues.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, work instructions, and process documentation.
• Provide technical support for customer enquiries and quotation activities.
• Collaborate with production, quality, maintenance, and commercial teams to achieve operational goals.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing scrap, rework, and process variation.
• Ensure compliance with quality management systems and customer specifications.
• Train, coach, and mentor operators and technicians to support capability development.
• Monitor process performance data and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Promote and maintain a strong culture of health, safety, and environmental compliance.

• Strong background in heat treatment, metallurgy, materials science, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience working within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Knowledge of quality management tools and methodologies, including ISO standards, PFMEA, control plans, and root cause analysis.
• Experience with industrial furnaces and/or vacuum processing systems would be advantageous.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret process and performance data.
• Proven leadership and people management experience.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Strong communication and organisational skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to health, safety, and quality standards.