Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Hayes, UK

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: up to £43,000

Are you a driven Manufacturing Engineer with a passion for process improvement and cross-functional collaboration? We’re seeking a skilled professional to join our team and lead the development and optimisation of manufacturing processes, tooling, and documentation to support high-performance production operations.

Key Responsibilities

Create, review, and maintain manufacturing work instructions and technical documentation, including tooling usage, inspection regimes, and critical checks. Lead and contribute to cross-functional projects involving Operations, IT, Tooling, Supply Chain, and Maintenance to implement effective manufacturing solutions. Investigate and develop new methods, layouts, and processes to enhance equipment flexibility, throughput, and compliance with OEM standards. Identify and eliminate process waste through root cause analysis and sustainable improvement actions. Plan, coordinate, and deliver engineering projects from concept to completion, ensuring quality, cost, and timing objectives are met. Lead troubleshooting and problem-solving activities to resolve production issues in collaboration with production teams. Analyse production performance metrics (e.g., cycle times, downtime, waste) and provide actionable recommendations. Apply Lean manufacturing, statistical analysis, and process mapping techniques to drive continuous improvement. Support and optimise equipment maintenance programs to ensure operational readiness. Manage and maintain master data for tooling and equipment within the SAP system. Conduct time and motion studies, workflow analysis, line balancing, and capacity analysis to identify bottlenecks.

Qualifications & Education

Minimum HND in a mechanical discipline; higher qualifications considered with a demonstrated interest in tool design. CAD proficiency (SolidWorks ). Training in Lean manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Statistical Process Control is advantageous.

Experience & Skills

3–5 years of experience managing end-to-end manufacturing or engineering projects in a production environment. Proven track record in driving process improvement using tools such as Pareto analysis, DMAIC, and OEE. Experience applying structured problem-solving methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, 8D). Strong understanding of metal component processing and surface finishing operations, particularly for aerospace components. Skilled in interpreting engineering drawings and applying metrology principles. Excellent communication skills with the ability to liaise effectively across teams. Advanced IT skills, including ERP/MRP systems, MS Office, and CAD software.