Production Manager

About us

Patrick Ireland Frames is one of the leading producers of hand-finished, bespoke, picture frames and mirrors in the UK, supplying both trade and retail customers. Our clients include some of the UK's most influential interior designers and luxury hotel groups, including the Maybourne Group, Firmdale, the Dorchester and the 22.

With over 40 years in the industry, we have built our reputation making beautiful, life-lasting, hand-finished frames and mirrors. Each frame is made to order, as specified by our client, in our fantastic new purpose-built workshop in Hadlow Down, East Sussex.

As a small, family-run business, we offer a friendly and professional service and, what our clients really love about us, is that we are often able to bring their designs and concepts to life when our competitors can’t. It’s our team of highly skilled and experienced frame makers and finishers that enable us to do that.

We have a long-standing and loyal client base, as well as a fantastic marketing manager who brings us new clients weekly. Our reputation as a reliable and high-quality supplier also means we earn new clients through recommendations, which we think is the ultimate compliment.

Having moved into our new home in Hadlow Down at the start of October 2024, we are finally able to grow our team, and we are looking for an experienced production manager to help us do that. This is an exciting new chapter for us and a great time to be joining the company, as we want you to help us drive the business forward using our new space to do that.

Why work at Patrick Ireland Frames?

1. We have brand-new purpose-built premises in a beautiful rural location looking across to the South Downs.

2. We offer flexible working patterns.

3. We’re just a five-minute drive from Buxted train station with hourly trains to and from London.

4. We have an incredibly talented and conscientious team of frame-makers and finishers, some of whom have been here for over 20 years Their skills and expertise mean that we can take on any design challenge that our clients send our way, making our daily work varied and interesting.

5. We offer 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, as well as a company pension, semi-private healthcare, and Christmas bonuses.

6. We have a profit-led bonus structure.

7. We have an office dog, Bobby.

What we’re looking for in our new production manager:

• Management experience – We would like someone who has at least 3 years' experience in production management.
• Product experience - Ideally, we would like someone who has worked as a supplier for the interior industry, whether it be in furniture design and production, or even for another mirror or frame manufacturer.
• Hand-finishing – An understanding of the paints and products we use to create our finishes. You may have different methods and techniques you can introduce us to; we’re always open to hearing about new products and processes.
• On-site experience – We often visit our clients’ projects to survey and install our products, so you must have experience on-site and the ability to liaise with clients, our team, and external suppliers to ensure the smooth running of installations.
• Personable - A confident people person who can listen as well as lead.
• Adaptable problem solver – No two days are the same and there are often unexpected challenges that need overcoming and fitting into the usual day-to-day tasks.
• Composure - Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining a positive attitude and motivating the staff.
• Organised – It’s vital that you can plan and organise the workflow of production to meet (and ideally, exceed) our clients’ deadlines. This will require working with the different department heads to ensure a cohesive and effective flow of production through the workshop.
• An eye for detail – Our reputation has been built on producing beautiful high-end products. Every frame and mirror will need to be meticulously checked and approved before being packaged for delivery.
• Technical – We need someone who understands the technicalities of how our frames and mirrors are made, and someone with a vision to help us create the ones that aren’t so obviously made.
• Hands on - Our new production manager will be expected to work within the production team as well as lead them, so some experience in woodworking, finishing, bespoke furniture production is very important.

The role:

This is an incredibly varied and rewarding role, where you’ll get to work across all teams overseeing production and workshop activities. Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Technical pre-production support:

- Working with our woodwork and sales managers to help in the design and planning of bespoke products at the quotation stage of the enquiry.

- To liaise with our local suppliers and partners on the technical production details of products.

- Production of CAD drawings. We send drawings for all our mirrors so that our clients can check and approve every detail before going into production, and these are then used by the production team.

General production management duties:

- To manage and schedule the production and workflow of all orders, delegating work to the relevant staff by considering their skillset and workload.

- Scheduling production to ensure optimum efficiency and productivity at all times.

- To ensure all orders are completed to either meet or exceed the lead time specified on the job sheet, and to communicate with the sales manager so that clients can be kept up to date with the progress of their orders.

- Implement a quality control process on all orders to ensure that every item leaving the workshop has been checked, meets the highest standards, and is exactly as specified on the order.

- Ensuring every item is photographed sufficiently pre-and-post being packaged to be sent to clients before delivery and as proof should items be reported damaged on delivery, as well as to record finished products for our records.

- Monitor and evaluate production processes, techniques, and timings to improve and increase efficiency and productivity.

Staff management:

- Lead weekly all-company meetings, as well as daily production meetings fostering a collaborative team environment.

- Directly manage the finishing and fitting team, implementing performance reviews, and supporting their growth and development in the company.

- Ensuring the production team has all the materials and support they need to be able to do their jobs efficiently and with ease.

- Training the production team by facilitating weekly internal training sessions. These have proved to be popular with the staff.

- As you’ve managed a team of people before, you’ll no doubt have some experience in HR, and you’ll need to bring your knowledge and expertise with you. We have an off-site consultant we can call upon for more specialist HR matters.

Other management duties:

- Liaise with the Health & Safety Responsible Person, to ensure that our operations are compliant with H&S and not putting our staff under any unnecessary risk.

- To help arrange and provide Health & Safety training to all staff as and when required.

- To liaise with the H&S Responsible Person to make sure you and all staff are fully conversant with the current Risk Assessment.

- To ensure the upkeep of the workshop, ensuring that all staff always keep their areas tidy and in a presentable state.

Product Development:

- To work with the production team and management to create and develop new techniques, finishes, frame, and mirror designs.

- To organise the production of samples and prototypes for photography and website purposes

• - To liaise with the Marketing Manager to promote new products.