Product Engineer

Mploy Group; Paignton; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Mploy Group in Paignton, Devon, is seeking a hands-on Product Engineer to bridge R&D and manufacturing for advanced photonics and sensing technology. You will own products through development into production, tackling assembly, test and reliability challenges.

The role spans optical, electronic, mechanical and software elements, with responsibilities across process development, supplier collaboration, and documentation.

Qualifications

• Experience in product/manufacturing environments
• Hands-on ability to assemble, test and debug technical products
• Understanding of optical, electronic and mechanical systems

Responsibilities

• Own assigned products through production and development
• Develop robust assembly, alignment and verification processes
• Act as technical contact for manufacturing and build issues
• Support NPI, pilot builds and production readiness
• Develop tooling, fixtures and operator instructions
• Qualify components and develop scalable test methods
• Drive yield, cycle time, reliability improvements
• Investigate production failures and root cause analysis
• Provide DFM/DFA input into new product development
• Maintain technical documentation and product records
• Support quality systems and regulatory compliance
• Drive continuous improvement across manufacturing processes

Skills

Photonics

NPI experience

Fault finding

Root-cause analysis

Manufacturing knowledge

Education

Degree in Photonics/Physics/Engineering

Tools

Optical test equipment

Job description

Product Engineer

Location: Paignton, Devon
Salary: £50,000 - £60,000
Type: Permanent

Mploy Group is recruiting for a Product Engineer to join a rapidly growing deep-tech organisation developing highly advanced photonics and sensing technology.

This is a hands-on engineering role sitting across R&D and manufacturing, taking technically complex products and ensuring they can be built, tested and scaled reliably.

You’ll become a key technical owner for the product within manufacturing, working across optical, electronic, mechanical and software elements to solve production issues, improve processes and support the development of both existing and next-generation systems.

The Role

Working closely with R&D, manufacturing, quality, electronics, mechanical and field engineering teams, you’ll take ownership of products and assemblies as they move from development into controlled production.

• Owning assigned products, assemblies and subassemblies through production
• Developing robust assembly, alignment and verification processes
• Acting as the technical point of contact for manufacturing and build issues
• Supporting NPI, pilot builds and production readiness
• Developing tooling, fixtures, work instructions and operator processes
• Qualifying optical, mechanical and electronic components
• Developing scalable component and system test methods
• Improving yield, cycle time, repeatability and product reliability
• Investigating production failures, field returns and RMAs
• Carrying out structured fault finding and root-cause analysis
• Providing DFM and DFA input into new product development
• Supporting component cost-down and alternative supplier qualification
• Working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to improve capabilityMaintaining technical documentation, specifications and product records
• Supporting product qualification, quality systems and regulatory compliance
• Driving continuous improvement across manufacturing processes

About You

We’re looking for an engineer who combines strong practical technical ability with an understanding of how complex products move from development into repeatable manufacture.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience within product, manufacturing, photonics or a related engineering environment
• A degree, apprenticeship or equivalent experience in photonics, physics, optoelectronics, electrical or mechanical engineering
• Strong hands-on experience assembling, testing and debugging technical products
• Understanding of optical, electronic and mechanical systems
• Experience with NPI, prototype builds or production introduction
• Strong fault-finding and root-cause analysis skills
• Understanding of tolerances, process control and manufacturing quality
• Ability to work comfortably between R&D and manufacturing teams
• Experience with optical sensors, electromechanical products, automated test equipment, statistical process control, ISO 9001, ATEX/IECEx or laser safety would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to take genuine technical ownership within a growing deep-tech engineering environment.

You’ll work on complex photonics-based products where small improvements to assembly, alignment, testing and process control can have a significant impact on performance and reliability.

The role offers considerable variety, combining hands-on engineering, problem solving, manufacturing development, NPI, supplier interaction and next-generation product development.