Manufacturing Engineer - Tooling

Orion Electrotech; Marlow; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in England is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Engineer to design tooling and enhance manufacturing processes. The ideal candidate will have expertise in CNC programming and a strong background in aerospace manufacturing. Responsibilities include creating tooling documentation and developing CNC programs. This contract role offers a competitive hourly rate and requires hands-on experience. If you're interested in this role, please apply or contact us directly.

Qualifications

• 5 years in manufacturing engineering focused on CAD tooling design, CAM, and CNC programming.
• Experience operating and maintaining CNC machines.
• Solid understanding of materials, tolerances, GD&T, DFM/DFA.

Responsibilities

• Design & engineer tooling from CAD models and drawings.
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation.
• Develop and proof CNC programs for machining.

Skills

CNC programming & operation

CAD/CAM fluency (SolidWorks, Hypermill, Edgecam)

Tooling design for assembly/test and production

Aerospace manufacturing knowledge

Reading engineering drawings and GD&T

Hands-on experience with CNC tools

Knowledge of materials: aluminium, titanium, composites

Familiarity with aerospace quality frameworks

Tools

CNC machines (Mazak, Haas)

3D printing

Job description

Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Maidenhead - 4 days on site

Engagement: Contract (PAYE/Umbrella), inside IR35

Rate: £40-60 per hour umbrella

Overview

Were looking for a hands on Manufacturing Engineer with deep tooling expertise to support jigs, fixtures, CAD design, and CNC manufacturing across both Production and NPI operations.

Responsibilities

• Design & engineer tooling (jigs/fixtures) from 3D CAD models and 2D drawings, with clear build documentation.
• Apply GD&T to ensure precise tolerancing for lowvolume, highvalue aerospace components.
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation (data cards, routings, SOPs, inspection docs).
• Develop, revise, and proof CNC programs for 3, 4 and 5axis machining centres to aerospace standards.
• Own tooling recordsdesign files, maintenance logs, and change history.
• Continuously improve designs for performance, manufacturability, and cost.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, and Production to ensure compliance with AS9100 and FAIR.
• Drive machining/assembly process improvements and machine parts to meet operational needs.
• Support external tooling/fixture suppliers as required.

Experience & Skills

• CNC programming & operation across 3/4/5axis machining.
• CAD/CAM fluency ideally SolidWorks plus Hypermill and/or Edgecam.
• Proven tooling design for assembly/test and production.
• Strong grasp of aerospace manufacturing, tooling design, and inspection methods.
• Confident reading engineering drawings, GD&T and technical specs.
• Handson with lathe/milling/drilling and working knowledge of aluminium, titanium, stainless steel, composites.
• Awareness of surface finishing (e.g., anodising, coatings).
• Familiarity with aerospace quality frameworks (FAIR, APQP, PPAP, AS9100).

Qualifications & experience

• 5 years in manufacturing engineering with focus on CAD tooling design, CAM, and CNC programming/operation.
• Experience operating/maintaining CNC machines (e.g., Mazak, Haas).
• Solid understanding of materials, tolerances, GD&T, DFM/DFA.
• Exposure to CNC machining, injection/composite moulding, 3D printing is beneficial.
• Comfortable working with inprogress models/designs and making pragmatic definition choices.
• Able to balance stakeholder and supplier inputs to optimise cost and leadtime.

If you're interested in this Manufacturing Engineer role please click 'apply' or contact Orion in Reading today.

Due to the volume of applications we receive, unfortunately we are not able to respond to every application personally, therefore, if you have not heard back from us within 5 working days please assume your application has been unsuccessful. Thank you