Lead NPI Engineer

Beagle Aircraft; Christchurch; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

25 days annual leave plus Bank Holiday

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Holiday Purchase Scheme

Long service awards

Free onsite parking

Early finish Friday

Job summary

Beagle Aircraft in Christchurch is seeking an experienced Lead NPI Engineer to lead New Product Introduction and industrialisation from planning through to production readiness. This hands-on role requires turning complex aerospace designs into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes.

You will work across Engineering, Production, Quality, Supply Chain and Commercial teams, developing methods, tooling and documentation to ensure on-time, cost-effective manufacturing readiness and continuous

Qualifications

• Experience in NPI or Industrialisation in aerospace or regulated manufacturing.
• Experience taking products from design to production readiness.
• Knowledge of sheet metal, metallic structures, welding and fabrication.

Responsibilities

• Lead NPI and industrialisation projects from planning to production.
• Develop manufacturing processes, routings and work instructions for new products.
• Coordinate First Article builds and production readiness activities.
• Develop tooling, fixtures and inspection requirements.
• Apply DFMA principles to improve manufacturability.
• Collaborate across Engineering, Production, Quality, Supply Chain and Commercial teams.
• Support RFQs and estimating with manufacturing methods and tooling input.
• Drive continuous improvement in manufacturing processes, quality, cost and delivery.

Skills

NPI

Industrialisation

Manufacturing Engineering

DFM/DFA

Problem Solving

Cross-functional Collaboration

Communication Skills

Team Leadership

Education

Engineering degree or HNC/HND

Job description

At Beagle Aircraft, we manufacture precision-engineered components and assemblies for leading aerospace programmes.

We're looking for an experienced Lead NPI Engineer to join our Engineering team in Christchurch and take a leading role in bringing new products and programmes successfully into manufacture.

Reporting to the Head of Engineering, you'll lead New Product Introduction (NPI) activity from initial planning through industrialisation, First Article and production readiness.

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who understands how to take complex aerospace products from design into a robust, repeatable and efficient manufacturing process.

The Role

You'll work closely with Engineering, Production, Quality, Supply Chain and Commercial teams to ensure new products are introduced effectively and manufacturing processes are capable of meeting quality, cost and delivery requirements.

You'll provide technical leadership throughout the NPI process, developing manufacturing methods, resolving technical challenges and ensuring products are ready for successful production.

What We Offer

• Company pension
• 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Long service awards
• Free onsite parking and
• Early finish Friday

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead NPI and industrialisation projects from initial planning through to production.
• Develop manufacturing processes, routings and work instructions for new products.
• Support and coordinate First Article builds and manufacturing readiness activities.
• Develop tooling, fixtures and inspection requirements to support production.
• Apply Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFM/DFA) principles to improve manufacturability.
• Work cross-functionally to identify and resolve technical and manufacturing issues during NPI.
• Support RFQs and estimating activities with manufacturing methods, tooling and technical input.
• Drive continuous improvement in manufacturing processes, quality, cost and delivery.

About You

We're looking for an experienced Manufacturing/NPI Engineer who can combine strong technical knowledge with practical manufacturing experience.

You’ll ideally have:

• Strong experience within NPI, industrialisation or Manufacturing Engineering in aerospace or a similarly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience taking products from design through manufacturing readiness and into production.
• Practical knowledge of manufacturing processes, ideally including sheet metal, metallic structures, welding and fabrication.
• Experience developing manufacturing methods, routings, tooling and production documentation.
• Strong technical problem-solving and continuous improvement capability.
• HNC/HND, degree or equivalent practical experience within an Engineering discipline.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work across Engineering, Production, Quality, Supply Chain and Commercial teams.
• Experience leading NPI activity and coordinating multiple stakeholders would be highly advantageous.

Why Join Beagle Aircraft?

This is an opportunity to take a leading role in introducing new aerospace products and programmes into manufacture.

You’ll be involved from the early stages of a programme through to successful production, giving you the opportunity to influence manufacturing methods, tooling, processes and production readiness rather than simply supporting products once they are already established.

If you're currently working as a Lead NPI Engineer, Senior NPI Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer or Industrialisation Engineer and are looking for your next opportunity within aerospace manufacturing, we’d like to hear from you.