Moving into a Manufacturing HR role

Hi Mark,

I think this is a cracking career opportunity for you, especially in a HRA role which will provide you with generalist exposure across all aspects of the business, and the opportunity to engage with various levels of stakeholders.
I did my bread and butter learning in this type of role whilst studying the CIPD and it was the perfect platform. It doesn't suit everyone because of the pace, agile thinking and flexibility required - if you prefer to work in silo's this won't be for you!
Getting those widgets off the end of the line and out of the door on time will be at the heart of everything you do, which can work against you at times, but that said, make sure you spend plenty of time in the heart of the operation - on the factory floor, it will keep you close to the operation and its a great place to build credibility, especially during those early days.

Enjoy it and have fun!! It will definitely keep you busy.

Hope that helps.

I also loved manufacturing albeit I was lucky in that it was mostly food and drink so even more exciting than wiring looms.
Part of the pace is likely to be semi-regular redundancies which i would say is useful and fulfilling but can be wearing.
My note of caution is that be careful lest you get labelled and find it difficult to get out of. There is a degree of prejudice about it and recruiters and their algorithms tend to pigeon-hole people.

Food and Drink manufacturing, peppered with some2nd tier automotive is my background too. I have to say, I love this sector and I do believe that if you can survive and thrive in this sector, you can take this experience anywhere.

Food and Drink manufacturing, peppered with some2nd tier automotive is my background too. I have to say, I love this sector and I do believe that if you can survive and thrive in this sector, you can take this experience anywhere.