Industrial Process Engineer Apprentice

Thales Group; England; On-site; GBP 24,000; Full time

Job summary

An aerospace and defense company in the United Kingdom is seeking a confident Industrial Process Engineer. This role focuses on developing engineering skills within a collaborative environment, optimizing manufacturing processes, and contributing to health and safety practices. The ideal candidate will possess GCSEs in Maths and English and A Levels in a STEM subject. The position offers a salary of £24,000 with various benefits, including health insurance and substantial leave.

Benefits

Performance-related pay uplifts

Pension - Thales match plus 1%

Health insurance - 50% salary for 5 years

201 hours annual leave

Cash plan, life insurance

80 hours volunteering in first two years

Qualifications

• GCSE in Mathematics and English at specified grades.
• A Level in a STEM subject and English at required grades.
• Must demonstrate strong communication and team working capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop an understanding of professional engineering practice.
• Assess Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of products.
• Define and optimise manufacturing processes and tooling.
• Contribute to Health, Safety and Environment processes.
• Implement test & control plans for manufacturing equipment.

Skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Organisation skills

Number skills

Team working

Education

GCSE in Maths and English (grade 9-4 or A-C)

A Level in an additional STEM subject (grade 4(C) or above)

Job description

Overview

The role will develop your engineering skills to become a confident, positive and flexible industrial process engineer with well‑honed technical knowledge gained from both academic commitments and on‑the‑job training. You will be part of a team that provides manufacturing solutions in support of our customers’ requirements and will experience various aspects of engineering such as defining and optimising manufacturing documentation, tools and workflows; performing manufacturing readiness reviews; contributing to technological innovation to reduce costs; and guaranteeing feasibility and reproducibility of the process.

Responsibilities

• Develop an understanding of required behaviours and codes of practice of a professional engineer
• Understanding complex systems by working on different tasks on ongoing projects
• Assessing Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of products by reviewing product maturity with project teams to identify and minimise risk
• Define, set up, prepare and optimise manufacturing processes and tooling for a defined area or product line
• Contribute to Health, Safety and Environment processes
• Define and optimise manufacturing documentation, tools, workflows for manufacturing and inspection based on information supplied by upstream R&D engineering departments
• Contribute to the technological innovation to reduce costs and workflows while guaranteeing the feasibility and reproducibility of the process
• Attend Material Review Boards and Configuration Control Boards on behalf of manufacturing, actively managing failures and changes
• Implement test & control plans for manufacturing equipment
• Translate conceptual ideas or technical requirements into developmental outcomes, operational designs, or specifications for manufacturing projects or programmes of work
• Select, use and apply approved problem‑solving methods to solve problems and determine solutions or actions
• Collate, store, use and present data and supporting documentation
• Interpret and produce technical documentation such as schematic and circuit diagrams, engineering drawings or 3D CAD models, simulation models, engineering reports, test reports, fault reports or data analytics
• Observe, record and draw accurate and auditable conclusions from data evidence
• Manage assigned projects or programmes of work, taking into account factors such as planning, safety, quality, cost, performance and sustainability
• Apply processes for project or programme management such as escalation, audit or risk management and risk mitigation
• Comply with statutory and organisational safety and security standards and requirements, supporting safety risk assessments and mitigating any risks identified within the design, manufacture, development or test activity
• Identify and use manufacturing processes, resources and technologies to turn materials, components or other commodities into a finished product or system
• Apply quality management and assurance processes to identify and rectify faults, inaccuracies, discrepancies or unexpected results during the manufacturing engineering process
• Carry out pre‑operations checks of engineering manufacturing systems and equipment before use
• Manage continuous improvement activities using techniques such as Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, Lean, Kanban, Statistical Process Control or Value Stream Mapping
• Create, maintain and review project documentation; record and action any non‑conformities
• Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders
• Communicate in writing for example technical reports, documents and presentations
• Collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders; manage differing and competing interests with stakeholders
• Identify and complete opportunities for personal and professional development including keeping up to date with current and emerging technology
• Apply and promote policies and practices to support equity, diversity and inclusion
• Consider management of change (MOC) requirements when undertaking manufacturing projects or programmes of work
• Comply with environmental and sustainability legislation, regulations and standards associated with the manufacturing engineering environment; use resources efficiently, for example waste minimisation
• Ensure equipment is managed and maintained
• Optimise processes and procedures, such as relating to safety, efficiency, performance and productivity and sustainability
• Ensure that all systems or equipment has been correctly configured, checked and tested for safe operation, efficiency and reliability

Qualifications

• GCSE in Maths and English (grade 9‑4 or A‑C)
• A Level in an additional STEM subject (grade 4 (C) or above) and English (grade 4 (C) or above)
• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Number skills
• Team working
• Previous employment and/or educational history
• Share any relevant qualifications and industry experience – the apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Benefits & Compensation

• £24,000 a year
• Performance‑related pay uplifts
• Pension – Thales match plus 1 % (maximum 7 %)
• Health insurance – 50 % of salary for 5 years
• 201 hours annual leave (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Cash plan, life insurance, discount portal
• 80 hours volunteering (first two years)

Training & Schedule

• Level 6 Manufacturing Engineer Degree Apprenticeship at Yeovil College (5‑6 years, foundation HND followed by BEng)
• Day‑release model – Monday – Thursday 9.25 h/day (37 h week)
• Start date: Monday 7 September 2026

Additional Information

For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels