Manufacturing Engineer

A growing engineering business specialising in the design and manufacture of complex, high-value engineered products and associated systems is looking to appoint a Manufacturing Engineer to support the continued development and scale-up of its production operations.

This is a hands-on role sitting at the heart of the transition from prototype development into repeatable, scalable production. You’ll work closely with design engineering, quality and workshop teams to ensure products are designed for manufacture, built efficiently and consistently, and delivered to the highest standards.

The role would suit a Manufacturing Engineer, Production Engineer or Mechanical Engineer with experience in a low-volume, high-value engineering, special-purpose machinery or complex manufacturing environment, particularly someone who enjoys being hands-on and solving problems directly on the shop floor.

The Role

You will take ownership of manufacturing processes, production documentation, tooling and workshop improvements, while acting as a key advocate for Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA).

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and maintaining SOPs, work instructions, build books and production documentation
• Supporting the transition of prototype products into formal production
• Applying DFMA principles throughout design reviews and NPI activities
• Designing and specifying jigs, fixtures, assembly tooling and manufacturing aids
• Developing production testing, inspection points and quality gates alongside the Quality Engineer
• Optimising workshop layouts, process flow, workstation ergonomics and cycle times
• Investigating and resolving production bottlenecks, non-conformances and build issues
• Working with Design Engineering and Procurement to address supplier and manufacturing issues
• Supporting first-off builds and capturing time-and-motion data
• Leading root-cause investigations using methodologies such as 8D and 5 Whys
• Driving continuous improvement and lean manufacturing initiatives
• Working directly with workshop technicians and assemblers to introduce and improve processes
• Providing training on new processes, tooling, testing procedures and documentation
• Designing mechanical assembly fixtures, alignment tooling and other production equipment using CAD

About You

The successful candidate is likely to have:

• Experience in a Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering or similar role
• Strong understanding of DFMA and NPI
• Experience working within a manufacturing or engineering production environment
• Experience designing or specifying jigs, fixtures and production tooling
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills
• Experience creating SOPs, work instructions, BOMs and manufacturing documentation
• A practical, hands-on approach to engineering and the confidence to work directly with workshop teams
• Experience with CAD software for tooling or fixture design
• An understanding of quality processes, inspection and production testing
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively across engineering, production, quality and procurement

Experience within automotive, defence, special-purpose machinery, robotics, vehicles or other complex engineered products would be particularly advantageous.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity to join an innovative engineering environment where you will have genuine ownership of manufacturing processes and play a key role in taking technically complex products from prototype through to production.

The position is full-time and site-based in Leicestershire, with occasional UK travel and minimal overseas travel.

If you’re a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer who enjoys improving processes, solving technical problems and working closely with both design and production teams, we’d be keen to hear from you.