Optimisation Engineer

Alexander Steele; Oxford; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Alexander Steele seeks an experienced Optimisation Engineer to join its Operations team in Oxfordshire. You will analyse production data and drive continuous improvement initiatives to boost efficiency, reliability and cost, while supporting a major capacity expansion and automation projects.

The role is full-time and permanent, offering up to £45,000 per annum plus benefits and a dynamic, data‑driven environment.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree or equivalent experience in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing or related field.
• Minimum 2 years' experience in Food or FMCG manufacturing.
• Experience with OEE, SPC and production performance data.
• Experience using CAD packages.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement.

Responsibilities

• Analyse production data including OEE, downtime, yield, waste and energy consumption to identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead Continuous Improvement / Lean / Six Sigma initiatives.
• Optimise manufacturing processes to improve efficiency, capacity and cost.
• Work with Production and Engineering teams to improve equipment reliability and reduce breakdowns.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and implement corrective actions.
• Support commissioning, validation and optimisation of new equipment and process changes.
• Lead or support CI projects from concept through to implementation and validation.
• Develop SOPs, best-practice processes and training for operators and engineers.
• Lead projects focused on automation, energy reduction and ROI.

Skills

Engineering background

OEE

Lean / CI

Analytical thinking

Project management

CAD

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

CAD

Excel / Power BI

Job description

Optimisation Engineer

Location: Oxfordshire

Salary: Up to £45,000 per annum

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

The Opportunity

I'm working with an exciting Food Manufacturing business that is looking for an experienced Optimisation Engineer to join their Operations team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an engineer who enjoys being hands‑on, data‑driven and focused on making a measurable difference across manufacturing performance.

You will play a key role in improving efficiency, reliability, quality and cost, using continuous improvement and engineering principles to reduce waste and downtime while increasing throughput and capacity.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyse production data including OEE, downtime, yield, waste and energy consumption to identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead and support Continuous Improvement / Lean / Six Sigma initiatives.
• Optimise manufacturing processes to improve efficiency, capacity and cost.
• Work closely with Production and Engineering teams to improve equipment reliability and reduce breakdowns.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Support commissioning, validation and optimisation of new equipment and process changes.
• Lead or support CI projects from concept through to implementation and validation.
• Act as a Pillar Lead for Autonomous Maintenance and Progressive Maintenance.
• Play a key role in a major capacity expansion project, including the evaluation of in-line freezing.
• Develop SOPs, best-practice processes and training for operators and engineers.
• Lead projects focused on automation, energy reduction and delivering strong ROI.
• Track and report improvements, savings and project performance.
• Work collaboratively across Production, Quality, Technical, Engineering and Supply Chain.

About You

You'll ideally have:

• A degree or equivalent experience in Engineering – Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, Chemical or similar.
• Minimum 2 years' experience within Food or FMCG Manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and production equipment.
• Experience working with OEE, SPC and manufacturing performance data.
• Experience using CAD packages.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and project management skills.
• The ability to influence and engage shop-floor teams.

Desirable

• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
• Advanced Excel / Power BI experience.
• Experience in temperature-controlled food manufacturing.
• Automation, PLC or process control experience.
• Knowledge of BRC, HACCP or ISO 22000.
• Previous project management experience.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to join a fast-moving Food Manufacturing environment where you can have a genuine impact on manufacturing performance.

You'll be working on significant improvement and capacity projects, including high-ROI automation and energy reduction initiatives, while helping to build a stronger culture of operational excellence.

If you're a proactive engineer who enjoys solving problems, improving processes and seeing the results of your work on the shop floor, this could be an excellent next career move.

Salary: Up to £45,000 + benefits