Lead NPI Engineer

Latitude Recruitment; Park Gate; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Latitude Recruitment is seeking a Lead NPI Engineer for our engineering client near Fareham. You will own electro-mechanical development from prototyping through to production introduction, ensuring manufacturability and robust documentation.

Key duties include leading NPI activities, building pilot and OIB plans, developing detailed work instructions, and mentoring others while working with design, quality and production teams to reduce risk and costs.

Qualifications

• Knowledge in electro-mechanical assembly and product build environments.
• Technically minded with experience supporting prototype, NPI, and production activities.
• Able to build, test, and debug products to meet customer and quality requirements.
• Experience producing documentation and work instructions.
• Exposure to Design for manufacture.
• Experience leading or mentoring others.
• Defence industry and product experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage the introduction of new products into production, ensuring manufacturability issues are identified and resolved before full-rate production begins, and reducing risk from design oversights.
• Support the development of non-recurring engineering (NRE) estimates, including participation in pre-sales design activities to agree the NPI approach and estimate effort, tooling, test equipment and other project costs.
• Prepare NPI build plans for OIB / pilot builds, including agreed roles, responsibilities, schedule and required resources.
• Develop detailed work instructions, using build photos and build learning from initial assemblies, to standardise manufacturing methods for new products and engineering changes.
• Design and develop tooling, fixtures, process FMEAs and supporting documentation in line with project requirements.
• Participate in design reviews and make practical recommendations to improve manufacturability, simplify assembly and reduce overall cost.
• Build new products and prototypes with minimal or no prior instruction, in line with customer specifications and quality standards.
• Work collaboratively with design and production teams to document, build and verify prototype parts, and train manufacturing operators where required.
• Analyse build and test failures, recommend corrective actions, and assess associated cost, timing and technical risks.
• Track, record and report bugs, nonconformances and issues identified during prototype, test and NPI builds.
• Highlight NPI and product risks to the Project Manager and Project Engineers in a timely and structured way.
• Recommend design or process modifications based on prototype build and test results.
• Support root cause investigation and feedback of issues into design, quality and production control processes.

Skills

Electro-mechanical

Prototype support

NPI

Documentation

Design for manufacture

Mentoring

Defence industry

Job description

Our engineering clients based close to Fareham have an exciting opportunity for a Lead NPI Engineer to join their growing team.

The Lead NPI Engineer will be responsible for the mechanical, electronic and support aspects of validating and introducing new product developments into manufacturing and the supply chain. This includes creating and maintaining accurate work instructions for the production line to ensure consistency of product, developing, building and testing prototype units and evaluating and debugging the design. The role is of a technical nature but can't be completed without cross-functional support so maintaining excellent relationships with these teams is essential.

NPI Development:

• Manage the introduction of new products into production, ensuring manufacturability issues are identified and resolved before full-rate production begins, and reducing risk from design oversights.
• Support the development of non-recurring engineering (NRE) estimates, including participation in pre-sales design activities to agree the NPI approach and estimate effort, tooling, test equipment and other project costs.
• Prepare NPI build plans for OIB / pilot builds, including agreed roles, responsibilities, schedule and required resources.
• Develop detailed work instructions, using build photos and build learning from initial assemblies, to standardise manufacturing methods for new products and engineering changes.
• Design and develop tooling, fixtures, process FMEAs and supporting documentation in line with project requirements.
• Participate in design reviews and make practical recommendations to improve manufacturability, simplify assembly and reduce overall cost.

Prototyping & Assessment

• Build new products and prototypes with minimal or no prior instruction, in line with customer specifications and quality standards.
• Work collaboratively with design and production teams to document, build and verify prototype parts, and train manufacturing operators where required.
• Analyse build and test failures, recommend corrective actions, and assess associated cost, timing and technical risks.
• Track, record and report bugs, nonconformances and issues identified during prototype, test and NPI builds.
• Highlight NPI and product risks to the Project Manager and Project Engineers in a timely and structured way.
• Recommend design or process modifications based on prototype build and test results.
• Support root cause investigation and feedback of issues into design, quality and production control processes.

Required Skills & Responsibilities:

• Knowledge in electro-mechanical assembly and product build environments.
• Technically minded, with practical experience supporting prototype, NPI, and production activities.
• Able to build, test, and debug products in line with customer and quality requirements.
• Experience producing documentation and work instructions
• Exposure to Design for manufacture
• Experience leading or mentoring others
• Defence industry and product experience

Working hours: 37.5 hours - Monday - Friday