Manufacturing Design Engineer

Shellworks; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days holiday

Enhanced parental leave

Wellbeing allowance

Virtual GP

Cycle to work

Equity options

Catered lunch

Job summary

Shellworks is seeking an engineer to productionise new products for mass manufacturing, working with Engineering to validate and de-risk products before production. You will help scale from prototype to high-volume manufacturing in a fast-paced startup environment, collaborating with internal teams and external partners to deliver high-quality packaging materials.

The role offers hybrid work with 4 office days and 1 day from home, a salary of £40-50k, and equity opportunities.

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering; polymers or plastics preferred.
• 2–4 years in industrial manufacturing or physical product development.
• Experience with injection moulding, blow moulding, extrusion, or compounding.
• CAD experience; Onshape or SolidWorks preferred.
• Strong communication and autonomous work style.

Responsibilities

• Scale products to mass manufacturing by testing and validating for production.
• Improve product validation processes with repeatable validation workflows.
• Apply best practices in physical product development, including documentation and change control.
• Coordinate new product development across injection moulding, extrusion, and compounding.
• Collaborate with manufacturing partners to meet cost, quality, and timeline targets.
• Act as technical/interface between sales, engineering, supply chain, suppliers and customers.
• Contribute to world-first projects across multiple disciplines.

Skills

Autonomy

Stakeholder communication

Polymer knowledge

Production scaling

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Engineering degree (materials science or mechanical)

Tools

Onshape

SolidWorks

Job description

London, N4
4 days in our office, 1 day from home (choose from Tue–Thu)
£40-50k per annum (depending on experience) + equity

About Shellworks

At Shellworks, we’re on a mission to make plastic waste a thing of the past. We’re creating a new generation of materials - sustainable, high-performing, and designed to disappear. By reimagining how materials are made, we’re tackling one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.

About The Role

We are looking for a candidate to help productionise new products into mass manufacturing. You will work closely with Engineering in the development of products, ensuring products are validated and de-risked before production. As part of our fast-paced, collaborative environment, you'll have the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the planet while growing your expertise. If you're passionate about using your engineering skills to solve complex challenges and create a better future, this is the perfect role for you.

Key Responsibilities

This is a unique opportunity to work on scaling the future of packaging materials inspired by nature. When you join us you’ll get to:

• Bring new products to mass manufacturing by conducting product testing and validating for scale production.
• Improving internal product validation processes by developing a repeatable product validation process and streamlining activities.
• Implement best practices in physical product development, including documentation, change control, and other robust quality measures to ensure the highest standards of production quality and on-time delivery.
• Assist in coordinating aspects of new product development across a variety of projects in injection moulding, extrusion blow, and compounding.
• Work closely with our manufacturing partners, ensuring products meet cost, quality, and timeline expectations.
• Be the critical technical and project interface between sales, engineering, supply chain, suppliers, and customers.
• Collaborate on world-first projects across the molecular biology, mechanical engineering, product design and operations teams.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Degree in a relevant engineering discipline, such as materials science or mechanical engineering.
• You have over 2-4 years of proven experience in a relevant industrial manufacturing environment or in physical product development, ideally with exposure to polymers and plastic components.
• Experience with some of the following manufacturing technologies: injection moulding, blow moulding, compounding, or extrusion for plastic packaging.
• Experience in CAD - Onshape, Solidworks preferred.
• Experience in scaling production from prototype to high-volume manufacturing, with knowledge of both in-house and outsourced FMCG production being an advantage.
• Self-motivated and proactive, you thrive in a high-autonomy environment within a dynamic, early-stage start-up and excel in managing outsourced production partnerships and holding them accountable.
• Good written and verbal communication skills to communicate effectively to both partners and clients.

What we offer

• 28 days holiday + statutory holidays
• Enhanced parental leave - 12 weeks maternity at full pay, 6 weeks paternity at full pay
• Heka wellbeing allowance - to spend on what matters to you - gym, therapy, nutrition, learning, fertility and menopause support, and lots of other options!
• Virtual GP - same or next day appointments and private prescriptions delivered to you
• Cycle to work scheme - buy, subscribe to, or share a bike with savings of up to 42% via salary sacrifice
• Competitive salary + equity options
• Growth and development opportunities as we scale
• Regular socials + daily catered lunch at the office
• A tightly knit, passionate team making a real impact

Hiring Process

• Initial Chat
• Technical task
• Onsite
• Founder Chat

Join Our Mission

Becoming a part of Shellworks means being part of a team that’s passionate about sustainability and innovation. Our world-class team includes experts in materials science and visionary entrepreneurs dedicated to creating a better future. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible.

Are you ready to help us lead the way in sustainable materials?