MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION ENGINEER

KNDS DEFENCE UK LIMITED; Stockport; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

KNDS UK seeks a practical, hands-on Manufacturing Automation Engineer to support and maintain robotic welding and fabrication systems on the shop floor. You will drive real-time process improvements and assist the AME team with new equipment integration, commissioning, FAT/SAT, and preventative maintenance.

You will work closely with suppliers, integrators, and internal teams to optimise automation in welding and fabrication (steel/aluminium), program PLCs and robots, and contribute to EHS

Qualifications

• HND in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics discipline.
• Proficiency in at least one major robot language and experience with PLCs.
• Degree in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics discipline.
• PRINCE2, Agile, PMP or similar project management accreditation.
• Lean certification such as Six Sigma Green or Black Belt would be advantageous.
• Proven experience in a similar role.
• Computer skills (MS Office Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Lean Manufacturing experience.
• Working within a manufacturing and engineering environment.
• Ability to identify and mitigate technical, schedule and cost risks.
• Understanding of large-scale manufacturing, including advanced techniques, quality control (e.g., Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing).
• Practical experience of NPI.
• Process planning and optimisation.
• Ability to analyse process data to drive improvements (cycle and tact RFT etc.)
• Practical knowledge of relevant HSE regulations

Responsibilities

• Support concept development and act as a technical liaison with suppliers when required.
• Support specification and implementation of automation equipment where required.
• Support hands-on commissioning, installation, and FAT/SAT of robotic and automated systems.
• Develop preventative maintenance routines in collaboration with maintenance teams.
• Carry out rapid fault finding and implement software fixes to maintain production uptime.
• Work with integrators and internal teams to diagnose and resolve equipment issues.
• Program, modify, and develop PLCs and control systems.
• Identify opportunities for automation improvements within welding and fabrication processes.
• Develop and refine robot programs for welding applications with Weld Engineering.
• Familiarity with off-line programming tools.
• Program and optimise robots on-site, including CI updates and new parts introductions.
• Support analysis of production issues and implement practical improvements on automation equipment.
• Apply continuous improvement and lean principles on the shop floor.
• Support operators with basic robot operation, fault recovery, and safety awareness.
• Update cell documentation including operating procedures and automation standards.
• Ensure equipment modifications comply with EHS, CE/UKCA, and PUWER requirements.
• Support manufacturing and quality standards through process control and procedures.

Skills

Robot programming

MS Office

Lean manufacturing

Manufacturing experience

Risk management

Process optimization

Process data analysis

HSE regulations

Experience in similar role

Education

HND in Manufacturing

Degree in Manufacturing/Engineering/Mechatronics

PRINCE2/Agile/PMP certification

Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt)

Tools

PLCs

Robot language

Job description

We are currently looking for a Manufacturing Automation Engineer

A little about us:

With over a century of engineering expertise and innovation, KNDS UK is a renowned world leader in rapidly deployable military bridging systems and a key partner in the UK MoD’s Boxer armoured vehicle programme. We are proud of our heritage and our reputation of providing the highest quality engineering solutions for over 100 years. As a trusted partner to military customers around the world, our employees are the very heart of our company. We have a skilled and experienced workforce dedicated to achieving excellence in all areas of the business from Engineering to Project Management, Business Support to Operations. As our business evolves, we are looking to strengthen our workforce with talented and motivated individuals across a range of disciplines to work from our Northwest Engineering Centre of Excellence and currently have this opportunity available:

About the role:

We are seeking a practical, hands-on Automation Engineer to support and maintain robotic welding and fabrication systems across production. This role is focused on keeping equipment running, improving processes in real time, and supporting continuous improvement on the shop floor. This role will also be a point of reference to support the AME team during the introduction of new equipment

Key duties include, but are not limited to:

• Support concept development and act as a technical liaison with suppliers when required
• Support specification and implementation of automation equipment where required
• Support hands-on commissioning, installation, and Acceptance Testing (FAT and SAT) of robotic and automated systems
• Support the development of preventative maintenance routines in collaboration with maintenance teams
• Support maintenance with specialist knowledge, carrying out rapid fault finding and implementing software fixes to maintain production uptime on the new automation systems
• Work closely with integrators and internal teams to diagnose and resolve equipment and process issues
• Programme, modify, and develop PLCs and associated control systems
• Identify opportunities for automation improvements within welding and fabrication processes (steel and aluminium)
• Develop and refine robot programmes for welding applications, together with the Weld Engineering team
• Familiarity with off-line programming tools
• Programme and optimise robots on-site, including continuous improvement updates and introduction of new parts
• Support analysis of production issues and implement practical improvements on automation equipment
• Apply continuous improvement and lean principles directly on the shop floor
• Support operators with basic robot operation, fault recovery, and safety awareness
• Update cell documentation including operating procedures and automation standards
• Have an awareness of and ensure all equipment modifications comply with EHS, CE/UKCA, and PUWER requirements
• Support manufacturing and quality standards through consistent process control and adherence to procedures

What we’re looking for:

Our ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

• HND in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics discipline
• Proficiency in at least one major robot language and experience with PLCs
• Degree in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics discipline
• PRINCE2, Agile, PMP or similar project management accreditation.
• Lean certification such a Six Sigma Green or Black Belt would be advantageous.
• Proven experience in a similar role
• Computer skills (MS Office Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Lean Manufacturing experience.
• Working within a manufacturing and engineering environment.
• Ability to identify and mitigate technical, schedule and cost risks.
• Understanding of large-scale manufacturing, including advanced techniques, quality control (e.g., Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing).
• Practical experience of NPI.
• Process planning and optimisation.
• Ability to analyse process data to drive improvements (cycle and tact RFT etc.)
• Practical knowledge of relevant H&SE regulations

Why you should join us:

When you become part of the KNDS UK team, you will enjoy employee benefits such as:

• Competitive salary
• Attractive pension (4% employee contribution, 7% employer contribution)
• Half-day Friday
• Life assurance scheme
• Company sick pay scheme which increases with service
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Additional Holidays & other Long Service rewards
• Wellbeing initiatives, such as Free Fruit on Tuesday’s
• Cycle to work Scheme
• Free on-site car parking
• On-site electric vehicle charging points

We’re also very proud to be part of the Armed Forces Covenant since 2018, achieving their Silver Award in 2020 and Gold Award in 2024. We actively support and encourage service leavers, reservists and cadets to join our team, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process.