Contract Manufacturing Engineer

Oxford Instruments; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering company is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer for a 6-month contract in Bristol. The role focuses on diagnosing production issues, ensuring quality standards, and improving efficiency. Qualified candidates should have HND or higher in relevant disciplines and experience in electro-mechanical systems. The position also requires strong problem-solving abilities and excellent communication skills. This role is crucial in enhancing production workflows and empowering teams. Remote work options are also available.

Qualifications

• Experience in a fast-paced operations environment.
• Recent and practical experience in mechanical and electrical assembly.
• Experience in small batch, high technology system integration.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance and support on production engineering.
• Coordinate with departments for manufacturing continuity.
• Propose improvements to BOM and control plans.

Skills

Problem-solving skills

Excellent communication

Experience in electro-mechanical systems

Commercial awareness

Education

HND or higher in Mechanical, Electrical & Electronic disciplines

Tools

Lean Methodologies

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Manufacturing Engineer to join our team in Bristol on a contract basis for 6 months. In this role, your primary responsibility will be to provide initial diagnosis and support for any operational issues. This will help to ensure a smooth workflow within our factory, reduce the need for rework, and minimise interruptions for our Engineering Designers and Testing team. You will be instrumental in increasing the capacity of our Production space, reducing labour hours, and improving delivery times. In addition, you will play a vital role in empowering our Production Teams to solve issues independently and maintain our manufacturing flow, thereby positively impacting our overall productivity.

Key Responsibilities:

Build Standardisation: Provide technical assistance and support:

• Provide expert advice and guidance on production engineering and test processes and ensure these are adhered to.
• Ensure products are manufactured and tested to the standards as set out in our documentation.
• Support the Manufacturing engineering team in keeping documentation (SOP, Instructions) up to date.
• The BOM, ECO and DP’s are reviewed in a timely manner to ensure material is correct and added to any work orders if needed.
• Track and monitor any Quality Notifications and customer feedback/faults on commissioning relating to Operations.
• Monitor and optimise product quality.

Issue resolution:

• The first line of diagnosis for all production issues associated with assembly and test, and to determine the root cause. Follow the KT problem-solving methodology or 8D RCA investigation tools where necessary.
• Use practical mechanical, electrical and electronic expertise when fault‑finding.
• Coordinate with other departments and consult to determine the appropriate containment and preventative measures, and ensure manufacturing continuity and delivery schedule.
• Support corrective action requests, typically FRN (fault reports) and DP’s Deviation permits. Provide the resolution to these within a timely manner.

Continuous improvement:

• Work with manufacturing engineering to propose improvements to BOM structures, control plans and part routings.
• Identify and implement cost reduction ideas.
• Promote a CI culture through cross‑functional team working, training and process improvements.
• Support CI and 6S activities as and when required.

General:

• Ensure company values and procedures are strictly adhered to.
• Ensure Health & Safety procedures are adhered to at all times.
• Keep abreast of advancements in engineering and production and share knowledge with co‑workers.

Education / Qualifications:

• HND or higher (Mechanical, Electrical & Electronic disciplines).

Professional Skills / Abilities:

• Experience in electro‑mechanical systems production engineering environment – preferably small batch, high technology system integration, ideally with machining/fabs.
• Experience in a fast‑paced operations environment.
• Commercial awareness.
• Problem‑solving skills.
• Recent and practical experience in mechanical and electrical assembly.
• Experience in Lean Methodologies, both working with and implementing, would be advantageous.

Personal Qualities:

• An excellent communicator can converse at all levels of the company.
• Accomplished mediator, able to diffuse and deal with conflict.
• Comfortable with responsibility and high‑pressure work at times.
• Results‑driven and pro‑active.
• Demonstrates a mature and effective approach to implementing improvement.

At Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, we provide tools for the engineering of micro‑ and nano‑structures, with customers using our process solutions to research and produce materials and semiconductors vital for everything from medical devices and diagnostics, to electric cars and quantum computers.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and would ask you to get in touch if you are concerned about any barriers you feel you may be facing in your application process with us.

Note to recruitment agencies:

Oxford Instruments operates a Preferred Supplier List, and we do not accept unsolicited agency CVs. Please do not forward candidate details in response to this advert, or to any Oxford Instruments employees or other company locations. Oxford Instruments is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs.