Manufacturing Improvement Engineer

Nelson Permanent Placements; Highgate; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned British workshop is seeking a Manufacturing Improvement Engineer to enhance craftsmanship through intelligent process improvements. You'll collaborate directly with master craftspeople, leveraging your manufacturing background and problem-solving skills. This role offers an excellent salary and the freedom to experiment with innovation that respects the essence of traditional craftsmanship.

Benefits

Excellent salary

Investment in ideas

Long-term career opportunity

Qualifications

• Experience in low-volume and high-precision environments.
• Strong understanding of continuous improvement methodologies.
• Ability to learn shopfloor processes before suggesting changes.

Responsibilities

• Identify process improvements and standardization opportunities.
• Work alongside craftspeople to enhance efficiency.
• Test and trial ideas for innovative improvements.

Skills

Manufacturing or production engineering background

Continuous improvement

Empathy and curiosity

Problem-solving skills

Strong communication

Job description

Manufacturing Improvement Engineer - Confidential Client

Birmingham | £50,000-£60,000 + benefits | Permanent

Bring modern engineering thinking to a heritage, craft-led manufacturer.

We're partnering with a renowned British workshop whose products are handcrafted over extended build cycles — precision-built, individually fitted, and valued for generations. Each product blends mechanical perfection and human artistry.

They're now seeking a Manufacturing Improvement Engineer who can honour that tradition while helping it evolve.

This is not about tearing up what makes the business special; it's about understanding it, and finding where intelligent change can add value. You'll work alongside master craftspeople, engravers, and machinists to spot where process improvements, clever fixtures, or small standardisations could make the workshop flow more efficiently without touching the soul of the craft.

Some of the fastest wins will come from the unseen parts — the internal or sub-assembly components where precision matters most, not aesthetics. You'll identify pragmatic standardisation opportunities and apply marginal-gain thinking to bespoke hand-crafted workflows, reducing waste, shortening build times, and enhancing consistency — while preserving the bespoke nature and high value of the finished product.

You'll have the freedom — and the investment — to test ideas, trial tools and fixtures, and see improvements through. There's genuine backing here for innovation that makes sense.

What you'll bring

• A background in manufacturing or production engineering, ideally in low-volume and high-precision environments (aerospace, defence, motorsport, instrument making, luxury goods, etc.).
• Strong understanding of continuous improvement and practical problem-solving — someone who can see both the detail and the bigger picture.
• Empathy and curiosity — you'll spend time on the shopfloor learning how things are done before suggesting how they could be done better.
• The ability to communicate change positively across craftspeople, design engineers, and leadership teams.

Why this is special

• Shape the evolution of a legendary British craft workshop.
• Work where precision, patience, and pride still define success.
• Collaborate directly with master craftspeople — no layers of hierarchy.
• Freedom to experiment with new ideas, tools, and processes.
• Excellent salary, investment, and long-term career opportunity.

If you're an engineer who loves solving problems and respects the beauty of making things well, this role lets you do both — improving the future of a craft that defines British excellence.