Description

Caudwell Marine is a pioneering UK marine engineering company, backed by entrepreneur and philanthropist John Caudwell. We are redefining marine propulsion through the development of a diesel outboard system built for uncompromising performance, reliability and control in all conditions, with a global product launch planned for 2026. As a growing and ambitious business, we are focused on delivering cutting-edge technology designed for the toughest marine environments and turning innovation into real-world impact.

At Caudwell Marine, every team member plays an important role in shaping the future of the company. Our approach is built around being confident, committed and consistent in everything we do. Driven by endurance and powered by people, we are building a team that sets high standards and is helping redefine the future of marine propulsion.

The Role

The Manufacturing Director will report to the CEO and take overall responsibility for establishing, developing and leading Caudwell Marine's manufacturing capability as the business transitions from product development into commercial production and global launch.

This is a pivotal, hands-on leadership role requiring a true manufacturing professional who has experience building manufacturing operations from the ground up, industrialising new products and successfully taking products from concept and prototype through to full-scale production.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of establishing manufacturing facilities, processes, systems, teams and infrastructure within a start-up or scale-up environment. They will understand what it takes to turn an innovative engineering product into a commercially viable, repeatable and scalable manufacturing operation.

They will lead the industrialisation and manufacturing readiness programme for the AX300 product family, ensuring a successful transition from development and validation into series production, while building the capability, culture and operational foundations to support future product development and business growth.

This is not simply a role overseeing an established manufacturing operation. It requires someone who has personally built, developed and scaled manufacturing capability, combining strategic leadership with strong practical manufacturing knowledge and a hands-on approach

Responsibilities include:

• Define and lead the overall manufacturing and safety strategy, aligned with business growth objectives and product launch timelines.
• Build, establish and scale manufacturing operations from the ground up, including facilities, equipment, processes, production systems and organisational capability.
• Lead the industrialisation and New Product Introduction (NPI) process, taking products from development and prototype through to manufacturing readiness, launch and full-scale production.
• Lead manufacturing engineering, establishing robust production processes, assembly methods, tooling, quality systems and controls to deliver efficient, repeatable production.
• Develop and execute production ramp-up plans, ensuring manufacturing capacity, supplier readiness and operational capability support customer demand and business growth.
• Lead and develop manufacturing teams, providing direction, building capability and a high-performance culture.
• Own manufacturing performance across safety, quality, cost, delivery and productivity, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Oversee manufacturing investment, capacity planning, facilities expansion, equipment procurement and cost management to support future growth.
• Provide executive leadership for Health, Safety and Environmental performance, embedding a proactive safety culture and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Work cross-functionally with Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality and Commercial teams to ensure successful product delivery and operational readiness.
• Establish effective manufacturing governance, performance measures and risk management frameworks, reporting progress, risks and strategic priorities to the CEO.
• Accountable for establishing and monitoring KPIs.

Required Skills & Experience

This role requires a proven manufacturing leader with strong technical expertise and a track record of building, industrialising and scaling manufacturing operations, taking new products from development through to commercial production.

• Significant senior leadership experience at director level within manufacturing, manufacturing engineering or industrialisation environments.
• Experience leading powertrain manufacturing operation.
• Proven experience of building manufacturing operations from the ground up, including facilities, processes, equipment, systems and teams.
• Demonstrable experience of taking new products from prototype and development through industrialisation, production launch and full-scale manufacture.
• A strong track record of leading New Product Introduction (NPI), manufacturing readiness and production ramp-up.
• Experience within a start-up, scale-up or fast-growing manufacturing or engineering business.
• Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes, assembly methods, tooling, production engineering and quality systems.
• Experience developing manufacturing facilities, managing capital investment and implementing production infrastructure.
• Experience scaling production, improving efficiency and transitioning from low-volume builds into repeatable series production.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing cost, productivity, supply chain, supplier readiness and operational performance.
• Experience leading Health, Safety and Environmental performance within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven ability to build, lead and develop high-performing manufacturing and engineering teams.
• Strong strategic, analytical and problem-solving capability, combined with a practical, hands-on approach.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate at both shop-floor and executive level.

Personal Attributes

• Consistent, confident, and committed approach to work.
• Credible and strong leadership presence with the ability to influence across all levels of the organisation
• Highly committed to safety, quality, and operational excellence
• Strategic thinker with strong attention to detail and execution focus
• Calm and effective under pressure, particularly in scaling or high-demand environments
• Proactive, solution-oriented, and continuously improvement driven
• Strong communicator and collaborator across cross-functional teams
• Hands-on, practical leadership style with strong site engagement

Additional Information

This role is an onsite role based in Coventry, 5 days per week Monday to Friday.

Disclaimer

Caudwell Marine operates a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for recruitment agencies, which is currently not under review. Agencies not on our PSL are kindly requested to refrain from submitting speculative CVs or contacting our hiring managers or employees directly regarding recruitment matters.

Please note that any CVs submitted by non-PSL agencies, whether speculative or otherwise, will be treated as unsolicited.