Manufacturing Support Engineer

Future Advanced Manufacture Ltd; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in advanced manufacturing seeks a Manufacturing Support Engineer to enhance production efficiency and quality assurance processes. This role requires collaboration across departments, technical problem-solving, and contributions to continuous improvement initiatives. A strong background in mechanical or manufacturing engineering and relevant experience in a precision environment are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in precision manufacturing or engineering support.
• Strong understanding of drawings and CNC machining processes.
• Hands-on shop floor practices and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Act as liaison between Engineering, Operations, and Quality for production.
• Support development of methods of manufacture and documentation.
• Identify process improvements and maintain effective cross-departmental communication.

Skills

Problem-solving

Interpersonal skills

Technical issue resolution

Education

HNC/HND or Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Degree in Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

CAD software

ERP software

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Manufacturing Support Engineer

Reports to: Engineering Manager

Department: Engineering

Location: Future Advanced Manufacture Ltd

Roles and Responsibilities

Operational Support

• Act as the key technical liaison between Engineering, Operations, and Quality to support smooth production flow.
• Assist in resolving day-to-day manufacturing issues, including drawing clarification, tooling challenges, process bottlenecks, and inspection-related queries.
• Work alongside Production Supervisors, Planners, and Inspectors to ensure parts move efficiently from job release to delivery.
• Support the production floor in solving real-time technical problems, escalating when appropriate and following through to resolution.

Engineering & Method Development

• Contribute to the development and review of methods of manufacture (MoMs), ensuring alignment with quality and cost expectations.
• Interpret technical drawings, CAD models, and specifications to provide manufacturability input during quoting or planning phases.
• Support the creation and maintenance of setup instructions, tooling lists, and internal process documentation.

Quality & Documentation

• Assist in the completion of FAIRs, Form 3s, concessions, deviations, and other quality documentation where engineering input is required.
• Collaborate with QA and QC to ensure technical issues are properly diagnosed and resolved.
• Ensure accurate traceability and sign-off is maintained throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.

Sales to Delivery Handover

• Participate in sales-to-operations handover meetings, ensuring technical requirements and risks are fully understood and addressed.
• Ensure customer expectations, tolerances, and special process requirements are clearly communicated to all relevant stakeholders.
• Act as a key problem-solver during early-stage or grey-area jobs, especially for R&D or low-volume customers.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities for process improvement and cost reduction through smarter manufacturing methods or feedback loops from the shop floor.
• Capture learning from NCRs and production delays to feed into future quoting, method generation, and planning.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Maintain effective communication across departments to ensure alignment on job priorities, rework strategies, and capacity management.
• Provide feedback to design, planning, and sales teams to help improve quoting accuracy and manufacturability assessments.

Relevant Experience

• Prior experience in a precision manufacturing or engineering support environment, ideally aerospace or high-accuracy components.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a cross-functional role bridging operations, engineering, and quality.
• Strong understanding of drawings, GD&T, tooling, and CNC machining processes.
• Hands-on familiarity with shop floor practices, problem-solving, and technical issue resolution.

Qualifications and Accreditations

• HNC/HND or Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent industry experience).
• Strong working knowledge of engineering drawings, tolerancing, and production planning systems.
• Understanding of AS9100 / ISO 9001 quality frameworks is advantageous.
• Experience using ERP (e.g. Javelin), CAD software, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage with personnel from shop floor to leadership.