Manufacturing Process Engineer

Manufacturing Process Engineer
Location: Southampton, Hampshire
Salary:
•    Technician level: circa £30,000
•    Engineer level: circa £45,000
Type: Permanent, full-time

The Role
We are recruiting a Manufacturing Process Engineer to join a high-tech manufacturing environment in Southampton. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, this role provides day-to-day engineering support to a key components production line, with a particular focus on fibre-based products supplied both internally and to external manufacturing partners.
This is a hands-on role supporting live manufacturing operations, solving problems at source, driving continuous improvement and supporting new product introductions. The level of appointment will be aligned to experience and capability, allowing the role to suit either a Technician-level candidate looking to develop or a more experienced Engineer.
You will work closely with Production, R&D and Engineering teams, contributing to process robustness, product quality and operational efficiency, while also bringing fresh thinking and improvement ideas.

Key Responsibilities
•    Provide day-to-day manufacturing process support to production lines, identifying issues and implementing root cause corrective actions
•    Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, cycle time, cost reduction and process efficiency
•    Create, maintain and improve SOPs, routings and technical manufacturing documentation
•    Support the introduction of new products, processes and equipment, ensuring manufacturing requirements are met
•    Collaborate with Engineering and R&D teams on process development and product improvements
•    Log, track and prioritise issues and improvement actions using JIRA and Confluence

Skills & Experience
Essential:
•    Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a manufacturing support or process engineering role
•    Strong problem-solving skills with experience in root cause analysis
•    Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation
•    IT literate with good working knowledge of Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Desirable:
•    Experience with fibre components, optical assemblies, laser-based products or similar high-precision manufacturing
•    Hands-on experience using fibre processing equipment (e.g. splicers, cleavers, stripping tools)
•    Knowledge of precision machinery, automation, electrical diagnostics or programming
•    Experience of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma or similar continuous improvement methodologies
•    Data analysis experience, including exposure to SQL

Qualifications
•    Degree qualified in an engineering or scientific discipline, or demonstrably equivalent through experience and alternative technical qualifications

Personal Attributes
•    Highly motivated with the ability to manage multiple tasks effectively
•    Comfortable working in a fast-paced, changing manufacturing environment
•    Self-motivated and able to work independently as well as part of a team
•    Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams
•    Practical, hands-on approach with a creative and solutions-focused mindset
•    Strong customer and quality focus