Manufacturing Engineer NPI Supply Chain - Defence Future Programmes

ZipRecruiter; Bristol; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense engineering firm in Bristol seeks a Manufacturing Engineer NPI to support the Defence Future Programmes. You will ensure manufacturability of new products, engage with suppliers, and promote a culture of quality. The ideal candidate has robust experience in manufacturing, engineering qualifications, and a collaborative spirit. This role offers a chance to contribute to innovative defense solutions and requires occasional travel within the UK and overseas.

Qualifications

• Experience in both Production Operations and NPI/Project based environments.
• Knowledge of fabrication techniques and metal forming processes.
• Skills in Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA).

Responsibilities

• Ensure designs are suitable for manufacture at prototype level.
• Support assessment of supplier capability for hardware delivery.
• Develop and enhance manufacturing processes.

Skills

Manufacturing/Quality engineering experience

Knowledge of CNC machining in metallics

Effective stakeholder management

Ability to constructively challenge

Education

HND/Foundation degree or equivalent

Recognised or international engineering accreditation

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Manufacturing Engineer NPI Supply Chain - Defence Future Programmes

Full Time

Bristol

Future Programmes is at the heart of securing the future growth of the Defence business. We are delivering tomorrows technology fast, by bringing together the company's best engineers, programme managers and business professionals. Working in partnership with Governments, primes and new technology companies across the globe, we deliver future solutions to meet the customers emerging requirements.

In all areas these roles involve working with a range of key business stakeholders to support the delivery of key programme milestones thus enabling the delivery of our Defence Combat strategy for the next 50 years.

An exciting opportunity for a Manufacturing Engineering NPI role is available within our Defence Future Programmes team.

This role presents an exciting opportunity to be part of the Future Programmes Manufacturing Engineering team supporting the development of manufacturing processes.

Reporting to the Design teams and line management you will be responsible for ensuring manufacturability of new products and be familiar with "Design for Manufacture". You will also be required to interact and manage relationships across various functions internally and externally, ranging from design teams within the sub-systems, to suppliers and onto directly influencing the customer and their requirements.

You will also have experience of Product Introduction methodologies such as Advanced Product Quality Planning and Production Part Approval Process and will be working with external suppliers to create, define and implement several methods of manufacture for a range of future products.

Rolls-Royce's customers and the company have entrusted us to deliver the future technologies, people, processes and programmes. Successful delivery of these programmes will ensure both the UK and Rolls-Royce retains combat capability, ensuring freedom of action for the UK and enabling the company to maintain our market share in the Naval, Defence Aero and combat markets.

Future Programmes is looking for someone with drive, passion and commitment who can:

• Embrace agility - you will be able to respond quickly to challenges and be able to manage progress despite, missing, ambiguous, or changing requirements.
• Bold - you believe in yourself and the team to bravely push the boundaries and feel comfortable with 'failing fast' to pursue rapid knowledge capture.
• Pursue collaboration - you find strength in working with others, both inside and outside of our business, and value the of people and perspectives.
• Seeks simplicity - you keep it simple and remove complexity, in how you communicate and the way you work.

These roles provide you with a fantastic opportunity to

• Develop talent - Act as professional leader of the manufacturing engineering community within UK&I, ensuring required competences are in place and promoting the development and growth of the community.

Support the Chief of Industrialisation with management of manufacturing engineering load/capacity plans and budgets for the UK&I Future Programmes business.

• Quality - Promote a culture of zero defects within the organisation. Support the application of build in quality techniques including APQP during product introduction. Ensure compliance to all relevant company, legislative and technical policies and standards.

• Create strategy - Contribute to the development of the manufacturing engineering strategy for the business, connecting strategy, design, supply chain, operations, technology and digital stakeholders along with technology partnerships and suppliers to create manufacturing technology and product introduction strategies and roadmaps.

• Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing - Operate as an active member of the Future Programmes and Global manufacturing engineering leadership team, supporting cross-project and cross-business collaboration, knowledge sharing, skills and process development to best utilise the available resources to deliver business needs and priorities.

• Build Relationships - Manage, develop and maintain effective relationships within internal and external supply chain, ensure the requirements are understood and maximised, coach when required to deliver a successful outcome in line with the requirements and commitment of Rolls-Royce.

What You'll Be Doing

• Working as a Design ME within a project team to ensure that designs are suitable for manufacture at prototype level, moving towards solutions for industrialisation
• Supporting the assessment of supplier capability for existing and new sources working with those suppliers to develop manufacturing processes for hardware delivery
• Working pro-actively with new suppliers to ensure they can robustly meet our technical requirements, and their manufacturing processes are low risk
• Developing, maintaining, and enhancing manufacturing processes
• Working in conjunction with procurement and programme teams to proactively identify and address supply chain technical risks and drive continuous improvement activities
• Lead investigations into non-conforming material/ Product originating from the supply chain
• Identifying areas for improvements with internal and external processes, creating the business case for change

Your skills and experiences:

• Manufacturing/Quality engineering experience in both Production Operations and NPI/Project based environments
• Knowledge of CNC machining in metallics: both conventional and non-conventional
• Knowledge of fabrication techniques
• Knowledge of metal forming processes
• Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) skillsets
• Knowledge of inspection and measurement techniques
• Effective stakeholder management and collaboration - experience of working and managing relationships with external suppliers
• The ability to support investigations including root cause analysis methodologies
• Ability to constructively challenge and drive an improvement-based culture

Desirable

• Aerospace or automotive experience
• Knowledge of business improvement techniques and a certain amount of commercial acumen
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt
• Project management awareness
• Team player, but at the same time a motivated self-starter that can demonstrate the ability to resolve problems and deliver solutions in a timely manner.

Hardware on time and on cost
Qualifications:

• Professionally Qualified Engineer (e.g. UK minimum HND/Foundation degree or another equivalent).
• Recognised or international engineering accreditation (e.g. UK IEng or CEng) where available.
• Demonstrated experience in manufacturing processes used within Aerospace (or an equivalent regulated industry) and process development methodologies (e.g.

Advanced Product Quality Planning).

• Experience of other advanced or emerging manufacturing technology but not essential.

The role is Bristol based, but travel both in the UK and overseas may also be required on an occasional basis.

To work for the Rolls-Royce Defence business an individual has to hold a Security Check clearance. Rolls-Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK or, in MoD approved cases, a dual .

We are an equal opportunities employer.

We're committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives which are crucial to innovation and problem solving. We believe the more diverse perspectives we have, the more successful we'll be.

By building a culture of caring and belonging, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential.

You can learn more about our global strategy at Our people | Rolls-Royce

Job Category

Manufacturing Engineering

Posting Date

07 Aug 2025; 00:08

Posting End Date

25 Aug 2025PandoLogic. Keywords: Manufacturing Engineer, Location: Bristol, ENG - BS2 9NX