Manufacturing Engineer

Guided Talent; Havant; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Guided Talent is recruiting a Manufacturing Engineer for our Havant client to drive process improvements, develop robust production processes, and support new product introductions.

You will lead Lean improvements, optimize cost, quality, delivery and productivity while maintaining clear production documentation and collaborating with Engineering and Operations teams.

Qualifications

• Relevant engineering qualification in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing or Production Engineering.
• Experience in manufacturing or production environments.
• Experience developing or improving manufacturing processes, layouts or testing processes.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, technical specs and requirements.
• Knowledge of Lean, continuous improvement and problem solving.
• Experience supporting productivity improvement or cost reduction projects.
• Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Supporting NPD and NPI projects, ensuring manufacturing requirements are considered from the early stages.
• Developing, validating and improving manufacturing, assembly and production processes.
• Identifying opportunities to improve productivity, process capability, quality, material flow and manufacturing efficiency.
• Leading continuous improvement activity using Lean manufacturing tools, waste elimination and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Reviewing existing manufacturing processes and implementing practical improvements across safety, quality, delivery and cost.
• Supporting the development and improvement of production and end-of-line testing processes.
• Identifying capital investment opportunities and developing clear business cases for proposed improvements.
• Managing engineering and capital projects from initial concept through to implementation and completion.
• Preparing capital forecasts and monitoring projects against agreed cost, timing and performance objectives.
• Creating, maintaining and controlling production documentation, including work instructions, process specifications and technical standards.
• Ensuring manufacturing routings, Bills of Materials, work centres and ERP information accurately reflect current production processes.
• Monitoring manufacturing costs and helping identify opportunities for cost reduction and improved efficiency.
• Working closely with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain and Engineering teams to resolve manufacturing issues.
• Supporting and mentoring production personnel to ensure manufacturing processes and best practices are clearly understood.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Manufacturing processes

Process engineering

Problem solving

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Engineering qualification (Mechanical/Electrical/Manufacturing)

HNC/HND or equivalent level

Tools

CAD software

Six Sigma

Job description

Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Havant, Hampshire

Salary: £40,000 - £50,000 per annum

Job Type: Permanent

Guided Talent is recruiting a Manufacturing Engineer on behalf of our client, an established manufacturing organisation based in Havant, Hampshire.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Manufacturing Engineer, Process Engineer or Production Engineer to take a hands-on role in improving manufacturing performance, developing robust production processes and supporting the introduction of new products.

Working across engineering and production, the Manufacturing Engineer will play a key role in improving quality, cost, delivery, productivity and process capability. You will support continuous improvement initiatives, develop manufacturing processes, contribute to capital investment projects and help ensure production systems are capable, efficient and well documented.

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting New Product Development (NPD) and New Product Introduction (NPI) projects, ensuring manufacturing requirements are considered from the early stages.
• Developing, validating and improving manufacturing, assembly and production processes.
• Identifying opportunities to improve productivity, process capability, quality, material flow and manufacturing efficiency.
• Leading continuous improvement activity using Lean manufacturing tools, waste elimination and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Reviewing existing manufacturing processes and implementing practical improvements across safety, quality, delivery and cost.
• Supporting the development and improvement of production and end-of-line testing processes.
• Identifying capital investment opportunities and developing clear business cases for proposed improvements.
• Managing engineering and capital projects from initial concept through to implementation and completion.
• Preparing capital forecasts and monitoring projects against agreed cost, timing and performance objectives.
• Creating, maintaining and controlling production documentation, including work instructions, process specifications and technical standards.
• Ensuring manufacturing routings, Bills of Materials, work centres and ERP information accurately reflect current production processes.
• Monitoring manufacturing costs and helping identify opportunities for cost reduction and improved efficiency.
• Working closely with Production, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain and Engineering teams to resolve manufacturing issues.
• Supporting and mentoring production personnel to ensure manufacturing processes and best practices are clearly understood.

Skills & Experience

Our client is looking for candidates with experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, production engineering or a closely related technical role.

• A relevant engineering qualification in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, Production Engineering or a related discipline, ideally at HNC, HND or equivalent level.
• Previous experience working within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Experience developing or improving manufacturing processes, assembly methods, production layouts or testing processes.
• The ability to interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications and manufacturing requirements.
• An understanding of process control and production documentation.
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement and structured problem solving.
• Experience supporting productivity improvement, cost reduction or waste elimination projects.
• Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills.Experience preparing technical reports, project updates or business cases.Good communication skills with the ability to work effectively across engineering and operational teams.Experience managing or contributing to engineering projects from planning through to implementation.

  Desirable Experience

  Experience in any of the following would be beneficial:

  • CAD software.
  • Six Sigma or similar continuous improvement methodologies.
  • Manual or semi-automated assembly environments.
  • Quality management systems.
  • Capital equipment or manufacturing improvement projects.

  What Our Client Is Looking For

  This position would suit a practical and improvement-focused Manufacturing Engineer who enjoys working closely with production teams and solving real manufacturing challenges.

  You will be comfortable moving between technical analysis and hands‑on problem solving, with the ability to identify improvement opportunities and turn them into practical, measurable results.

  Success in the role will include delivering more capable and reliable manufacturing processes, improving productivity and material flow, supporting effective new product introductions and ensuring manufacturing documentation and systems remain accurate and up to date.