TEST LABORATORY MANAGER - TESTING & CERTIFICATION

 “Career development and leadership opportunity for commercially focused Test & Certification specialist with best in class experience in mechanical and electrical test engineering or other disciplines, including chemical, metallurgical, forensics etc to UK and International Standards”

Salary:  c£40,000 + Excellent Large Company Benefits

Location:  Wolverhampton

Commutable from Birmingham, Kidderminster, Stafford, Stone, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Bromsgrove, Lichfield, Tamworth, Stoke on Trent, Telford, Shrewsbury, Droitwich, Redditch, Worcester, Coventry, Warwick, Sutton Coldfield, Coleshill, Crewe

Our client is a well-established and respected manufacturer of fixtures, fittings and components both mechanical and electronic in the home and building infrastructure products sector. Highly acquisitive and experiencing excellent growth, the company is based in a brand-new office, distribution centre and test centre complex in the West Midlands close to the M6/M54 but has operational facilities and subsidiaries nationally and globally.  

They are now seeking to strengthen their Test Centre team with the appointment of a Manager to head up their brand-new Test & Certification facility.  Our client offers testing and certification services both on an in-house basis to internal group companies and also to external customers including other manufacturers of mechanical, electrical and electronic components and products, in line with industry and national and international standards and certifications.  The role also encompasses management of product certification schemes to ensure continuity of compliance and maximise value from product certifications

Testing equipment is predominantly pneumatic, hydraulic plus electrical/electronic includes tensile and other strength tests. 

The Role:

You will manage our client’s brand-new Test Engineering Centre, ensuring that internal and external customer needs are met, providing an exemplary service, managing product certification scheme to ensure continuity of compliance and maximum value from product certifications. The role is as much about team management as technical competence.

• Promote and maintain compliance with procedural requirements and best practice for safety, health and environmental factors associated with testing operations, ensuring suitable provision is made for the identification of hazards and management of risks
• Develop & maintain the necessary systems and competencies within the testing team to manage daily operations, testing scheduling, and quote and report generation
• Promote and maintain professional standards of service.
• Manage the testing capacity to suitably cater for customer indicative, UKAS accredited, competitor analysis, development and audit test requirements.
• Develop & maintain the necessary systems and competencies within the testing team to manage daily operations, testing scheduling, and quote and report generation
• Preparation of audit test samples for our client’s certified product testing.
• Maintain a test quotation and booking service with transparent lead times and manage the provision of testing to agreed service levels.
• Maintenance and development of UKAS accredited ISO 17025 Laboratory management system, manuals, procedures and accreditation requirements.
• Identification and implementation of testing service improvements including scope of service and efficiency
• Promotion of our client’s testing services within the industry to maximise value.
• Development and maintenance of our client’s product certifications including CE marking, Kitemark and Certify product schemes, and product specific testing evidence.
• Monitor and evaluate developments within industry testing and product standards, identifying threats and opportunities and liaising with key stakeholders.
• Represent our client’s testing services at the Test House Studies Group.
• A key area is the day to day management and development of the Test Engineers and Team Leader to ensure flexibility and a high quality of service.
• Maintain good relationships internally with key members of executive team as well as customers and external bodies.

The Background:

• Degree/HNC/HND educated in Mechanical or Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensics or similar.
• Experience of Electrical/Electronic Engineering advantageous. Experience could be gained in mechanical, electronic, chemicals, biological, metals sectors or forensics.
• Currently working within a similar specialist testing team or alternatively as part of a quality or product development function within a manufacturing environment but keen to develop career further into testing and certification.
• Experienced leading and motivating engineers including apprentices is essential.
• Experience of BSI standards essential.
• Customer facing experience essential – this could be external customers or internal customers within different product or manufacturing divisions of the same organisation.
• Experience of planning resource allocation and creating and presenting reports.
• Structured problem-solving techniques, including analysis and corrective and preventative action identification
• Ability to technically appraise company and competitor products.

In return our client offers a competitive salary plus pension, 25 days holiday and the option to choose from a wide variety of other benefits offered by our client.

HEALTH AND SAFETY CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OFFICER

“Excellent career development opportunity with global multinational, within lean manufacturing and engineering environment, for a graduate calibre, chartered Health & Safety professional to lead and continually improve a best in class health and safety function within one of their rapidly expanding business units”

C £27-35000 (Dependent On Experience) + Car Allowance & Benefits

Location: West Midlands

Commutable from Atherstone, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Dordon, Coventry, Bedworth, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford on Avon, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Coleshill, Cannock, Rugeley, Burton upon Trent, Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Redditch, Solihull, Nuneaton, Lichfield, Ashby de la Zouche, Leicester, Coventry, Rugby, Lutterworth, Stoke on Trent, Stafford, Wolverhampton

Our client is a major diversified industrial group, part of a global multinational, specialising in the B2B sector.  Safety is their first and foremost objective in all its activities.  It operates a number of manufacturing and logistics sites throughout the UK and is seeking a Health and Safety Continuous Improvement Officer to take the lead within one of their smaller specialist business units which is experiencing growth both organic and via acquisition. 

Our client is seeking a graduate calibre, NEBOSH qualified, chartered IOSH Health and Safety professional with a track gained within a multinational, multi-site, matrix organisation, who will be experienced in working closely with stakeholders at senior executive, including the Group Health & Safety Manager on a regular basis within the business unit, the group and the plc.    Ideally this experience will have been gained with a lean continuous improvement environment and you will be adept at ensuring that the approach to health and safety also mirrors and works in parallel with changes and developments within manufacturing and engineering processes.

As Health & Safety Continuous Improvement Officer, you will report to the Group Health & Safety Manager and will take responsibility for health and safety at three manufacturing units located in Warwickshire, Hertfordshire and Suffolk.  Each unit specialises in the manufacture and supply of a range of high-quality architectural products produced from stainless steel sheet and extruded aluminium for use in major construction projects large and small in the UK and overseas.  Therefore, experience of health and safety within a similar manufacturing environment using processes such as metal welding’s, precision CNC fabrication and forming would be useful.   As a critical health and safety business partner you will specifically support, challenge, inspire and coach the leadership teams across each manufacturing site and their line management in terms of delivering and continuously improving the health & safety strategy across their facility. The focus will be on the development of a highly effective, best in class health and safety culture, values, behaviours, systems and processes; ensuring zero harm; ongoing legal compliance and excellent organisational and business unit health and safety standards in line with 18001 and transition to 45001 Certification.  

The Role:

• To guide, support and lead business unit leadership and their line management in the creation, delivery and continuous improvement of the health and safety strategy and roadmap.
• To guide and support the business unit teams in the compliance, monitoring and continuous improvement of all health and safety standards, policies, procedures and management systems.
• Ensure that safety improvement plans are developed within the business unit implemented and monitored across all sites in compliance with UK legal requirements and corporate health and safety strategy.
• Providing expertise, leadership and specialist advice to your health and safety advisory team and business unit management teams as required.
• Training, guidance and coaching to line managers to enable them to understand and effectively utilise the health and safety management system, in accordance with ISO 18001 certification and the transfer to ISO 45001.
• Support and enable effective critical and high potential incident investigations to be completed by line managers in order to identify the immediate and underlying causes and the appropriate corrective/preventative actions. 
• To provide the appropriate level of challenge and help in developing actions to avoid repeat incidents.
• Facilitate the effective communication of health and safety issues and learning points generated by the business unit across the whole group in the UK and with industry bodies.
• To identify themes and help develop, implement and monitor health and safety strategies which will help to continually improve the business unit’s health and safety performance year on year.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Of graduate calibre i.e. HNC/HND, BA, BEng, BSc, MSc
• NEBOSH qualified
• Chartered IOSH member
• Consistent career history within health and safety management roles in large, multi-site, corporate environment within manufacturing and logistics. This could be at Health & Safety Coordinator or Health & Safety Advisor or Health & Safety Officer or even Health & Safety Manager. Clear understanding and belief in behavioural based safety and visible felt leadership.
• A strong focus on continuous improvement in relation to health and safety within a lean manufacturing and engineering environment would be especially beneficial.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills, experienced in persuading and influencing stakeholders at business unit leadership and operational, group and plc level.
• Up to date knowledge of current UK legislation including OSHAS 18001:2007
• Excellent analytical and strategic influencing skills and track record of continuously and proactively improving health and safety standards.
• Recent experience of managing 2-3 small to medium sized individual manufacturing or processing units.
• Good coaching and mentoring skills.
• Proven experience of health and safety systems development tailored to business operational and strategic needs including risk mitigation and incident investigation.
• Strong health and safety management system auditing experience.
• A highly responsive, supportive and inspirational critical health and safety business partner. A real committed team player.
• Professional, discrete, diplomatic and tactful at all times.
• Experienced in dealing with regulatory bodies.
• Computer literate including Excel and Powerpoint.

In return our client offers a unique opportunity to impact and shape the health and safety culture and performance of a high profile business unit.

To apply without delay, please email your CV in word format, quoting reference LX408630 to applications@martinveasey.com for the attention of Roheela Khan, www.martinveasey.com