General Manager

CompanyWIKA Group

LocationDidcot, England, United Kingdom

Posted At2/3/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Analytics are greyed out due to low classification confidence (39.0%).

Occupation Type

Production managers and directors in manufacturing

Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled

Sponsorship Salary Threshold

£55,000 (£28.21 per hour)

Occupation rate applies

Above analytics are generated algorithmically based on job titles and may not always be the same as the company's job classification. You can also check detailed occupation eligibility, and salary criteria on our UK Visa Eligible Occupations & Salary Thresholds page.

Disclaimer: Hunt UK Visa Sponsors aggregates job listings from publicly available sources, such as search engines, to assist with your job hunting. We do not claim affiliation with WIKA Group. For the most up-to-date job details, please visit the official website by clicking "Apply Now."

Description

General Manager

Company Overview:

For over 75 years, WIKA has been a renowned partner and competent specialist for any task in the field of measurement technology. With steadily growing efficiency, innovative technologies are applied when developing new products and system solutions. The reliability of the products and the readiness to face all challenges of the market have been the key factors for WIKA achieving a leading position in the global market.

Within the WIKA Group, currently 11,200 employees are dedicated to maintain and improve technology in pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, and also in the fields of flow measurement, calibration and SF6 gas solutions.

WIKA Optical Sensing Ltd, previously known as Oxsensis, was acquired by WIKA in 2023 and brings expertise in optical sensing technology, particularly for pressure and temperature measurement.

Your Activities:

Lead the full operational function on site, including R&D, production planning, procurement, manufacturing, testing, and supply chain management.

Build and mature operational capabilities to deliver SOP‑ready manufacturing and test processes for sensors, systems, and interrogators.

Ensure achievement of core operational performance targets including OTD, First‑Pass‑Yield, and product quality.

Identify and mitigate single‑source and supply‑chain risks, ensuring resilience and continuity.

Drive industrialisation activities to ensure the site becomes fully operational within agreed group timelines.

Develop and mature documented processes across etching, sensor build, interrogator build, splice box/connection, and calibration, ensuring they are KPI‑driven and audit‑ready.

Implement continuous improvement practices to increase throughput, reduce cost, and enhance quality.

Partner with WIKA UK Quality (Shared Service) to ensure compliance with AS9100, ISO standards, and customer-specific requirements.

Oversee quality governance, ensuring robust documentation, traceability, and escalation management.

Lead or support supplier audits, ensuring supply chain adherence to quality and compliance expectations.

Ensure strong R&D/Operations governance, including roles, RACI, and interfaces across teams.

Collaborate with WIKA Sales to execute the commercial ramp‑up, accelerating revenues beyond grants/NRE into recurring product sales.

Steer forecasting, backlog management, order intake, pricing, and margin performance.

Support customer qualification and readiness through OEM Key Account Management, including audit readiness, PPAP/FAT milestones, and delivery capability for customers such as MHI, GE, Siemens, Parker.

Establish and run structured Voice of Customer (VoC) loops for the XTP‑5000 product line.

Capture, analyse, and communicate customer insights, feeding them back into R&D, operations, and quality improvement cycles.

Ensure a minimum cadence of qualified customer feedback to drive product robustness, MTBF improvements, and reduction in COGS/unit.

Own the business plan and budget for the Oxford site from 2026 onward, including cashflow, Capex planning, and lease considerations.

Ensure governance, reporting, and financial stewardship that supports sustainable scaling and operational excellence.

Deliver the financial KPIs expected within group timelines, including revenue targets, cost reductions, and operational efficiency improvements.

Build and lead a multidisciplinary site team, ensuring clear roles, accountability, and effective cross‑functional interfaces.

Develop a high‑performance culture grounded in safety, quality, delivery, and continuous improvement.

Ensure the site is prepared for audits, SOP milestones, and OEM customer requirements.

Your Profile:

Business Driven mindset - Operations & sales mindset; track record in turn‑around/change management within mixed R&D/Operations settings.
Proven leadership in industrialisation/production of complex technology products (high‑mix/low‑volume, scale‑up).
Strong communication (EN/DE), stakeholder management, ability to orchestrate VoC/market feedback.
Technical qualification at degree level or equivalent would be advantageous.
Optical sensing, pressure/process instrumentation, sapphire/opto‑electronics.
UK director governance (Companies Act) or willingness to assume legal responsibility.
OEM KAM experience with audit/ramp‑up milestones (PPAP/FAT), ideally with MHI/GE/Siemens/Parker.
Quality/regulatory (AS9100/ISO) and supply‑chain risk mitigation expertise.

The WIKA Group is among the world leaders in measurement technology with its products and services. With excellent sensing solutions, we enable safe, efficient and sustainable processes. And this for more than 75 years. More than 11,000 employees are currently committed towards this end.

Together we meet the megatrends of demographic change, digitalisation and sustainability. This brings with it challenges, and many opportunities. Innovation and growth arise from new perspectives and ideas. What are yours? Join us on the way to a better future.

Apply now