Our vision is simple - TopHat was founded to deliver beautiful homes, sustainably. We use advanced manufacturing and the latest technology to delivery ultra-low carbon homes, whilst keeping costs as low as possible. We manufacture homes in a controlled environment, removing uncertainties, improving quality and reducing costs. We have extensive experience of delivering projects in different ways to ensure that our customers get the solutions they need.

We've built over 200 homes with a pipeline far in excess of this. We are also a manufacturer; operating in a 125,000 sq ft factory in Derbyshire and have well advanced plans to build another one 5 times bigger. 

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Manufacturing Engineering & Quality to join our senior management team on a full time, permanent basis.

Manage TopHat’s Manufacturing Engineering and Quality Organisation to ensure that all technical requirements are achieved. The scope covers manufacturing engineering, maintenance and Quality ensuring that all functions have a clearly defined development strategy and day to day standardised roles. The scope will cover the current Factory 1 based in Derby and the new Factory 2 being built in Corby and ready for output from Q3 2024.

The Head will report directly into the Manufacturing Director and will need to grow their organisation to support the planned volume expansion in line with Factory 2 introductin.

Key Responsibilites

• Lead the Manufacturing Engineering, Quality and Maintenance team.
• Lead the Process definition, manufacturing method and layout within both facilities.
• Control the engineering Bill of Materials ensuring that accurate technical instructions are available to production at all times.
• Manage the current and future manufacturing equipment ensuring that all comply to current regulations and achieve the required performance levels.
• Implement and maintain both pro-active equipment TPM and PPM.
• Monitor the business engineering performance and report weekly to the operations director.
• Support the development of Quality confirmation and Quality Assurance strategies to set the direction of the business and close confirmation with key business leaders.
• Ensure that all of the required regulatory requirements are in place. These include BOPAS, NHBC and ISO
• Lead the internal quality confirmation process ensuring that the in-house quality control system is ensuring that the design condition is achieved on every product.
• Monitor and advise on any issues which present risk or opportunity to the organization.
• Lead the required actions and initiatives to develop any and all gap areas within the business.
• Lead the function and review opportunities for continuous improvement and business improvements.
• Ensure compliance to company guidelines, policies, procedures, and ethics during all internal and external discussions.
• Utilise internal, supplier and customer performance data to drive improvement actions.
• Approval of new suppliers, after proper due diligence and evaluation
• Assess and evaluate suppliers as required to determine new sources of supply by developing an agreed set of KPI measures
• Liaises with design / technical / sales teams to determine customer quality requirements and implement the requirements into the manufacturing processes.
• To follow, contribute and promote TopHat Health, Safety, Environmental Quality Systems.
• Any other duties as deemed necessary to meet the needs of the business.

Do you fit the bill? 

• Developing a company wide engineering strategy to control all aspects of manufacturing engineering and quality in a mixture of Manufacturing and Construction Industry.
• Control of all aspects of Quality from parts receiving, through manufacturing to onsite construction handover to customer.
• Ability to ensure that the organisation is controlled in a manner to gain the required external certifications, i.e. BOPAS, ISO NHBC accreditation.
• Extensive experience in supplier confirmation from sourcing to long term supplier development.
• Experience of influencing design to ensure that as built design condition can be achieved on every module produced.
• Team Player
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a good attention to detail
• Able to communicate effectively within a team and engage with stakeholders at all levels of the business
• Good relationship and management skills
• Excellent commercial awareness
• Sound decision making skills
• Is not knocked off balance by ambiguity, uncertainty and change
• Ability to demonstrate TopHat values.

What we can offer you

• Up to £95,000 per annum (depending on experience) 

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with the option to buy 5 additional days) 

• Aviva Health Insurance

• Group Life Assurance

• Income Protection

• Subsidised Canteen (Derby site only)

• Enhanced Group Pension Scheme, matching up to 6%

• Flexible Working (role dependant)

• Enhanced Paternity and Maternity Pay

At TopHat we welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can succeed and be themselves. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it makes our business what it is today. We value diversity and we particularly welcome applications from BAME communities, women and anyone with disabilities as we are underrepresented in these areas.