Supplier Development Manager
Location: Luton (Hybrid working and Flexi-time)
Salary: £47,000 - £52,000 + Bonus + Excellent benefits

Supply Chain | Machining | Supplier Performance | Advanced Manufacturing

Do you work with machining suppliers and enjoy improving delivery, quality and manufacturing capability?

We're looking for a Supplier Development Manager to support a portfolio of precision manufacturing suppliers within a high-technology engineering environment, helping improve capacity, delivery performance and supply chain resilience.

This role sits within a complex, technically advanced supply chain, working closely with suppliers specialising in precision machining and aerospace surface treatments.

The Role

You will work closely with suppliers to improve performance, capability and delivery, ensuring the supply chain can support increasing production demand.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing a portfolio of manufacturing suppliers, monitoring delivery, quality and performance
• Driving supplier improvement programmes using lean and continuous improvement methods
• Conducting supplier capacity and capability assessments
• Identifying production bottlenecks, yield issues and resource constraints
• Performing supply chain risk analysis and implementing mitigation plans
• Supporting suppliers to meet future production ramp-up requirements
• Producing clear analysis and executive-level reporting on supplier performance

Experience Required

• Experience in Supplier Development, Supply Chain Management, Supplier Quality, or Manufacturing Engineering roles
• Background working with precision machining suppliers or advanced manufacturing environments
• Strong understanding of machining capacity, manufacturing processes and supplier capability
• Experience improving supplier delivery and quality performance
• Knowledge of Lean / Continuous Improvement tools (DMAIC, root cause analysis, process improvement)
• Ability to conduct capacity analysis, process mapping and lead-time analysis
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder communication skills

Why This Role?

This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of manufacturing, supply chain and supplier performance, helping develop a resilient supply network supporting high-technology engineering programmes.

You will play a key role in strengthening supplier capability and supporting production growth across a complex supply chain.

Interested?

If you enjoy working closely with suppliers, improving manufacturing capability, and solving complex supply chain challenges, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today or reach out for a confidential conversation to learn more about the opportunity.

Even if you don't meet every requirement, we encourage applications from Supplier Development Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Supplier Quality Engineers, Production Engineers or Supply Chain Managers with strong supplier-facing experience.

Not actively job hunting? That's completely fine — many of the strongest candidates aren't. If the role sounds interesting, feel free to reach out for an informal and confidential chat