Senior Design Engineer

WIKA Group; East Hagbourne; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work-life integration

Mobile working

Flexible working hours

Pension scheme

Good development opportunities

Employee discounts

Attractive remuneration system

Health initiatives

Job summary

WIKA Group seeks a senior manufacturing process professional to support daily operations and lead continuous improvements across quality, throughput, and cost. You will champion process stability, PFMEA, and control plans while collaborating with engineering on DFM and NPI initiatives.

You will mentor engineers and operators, own ERP master data (routings and BOMs), and coordinate with Planning, Quality, and Supply Chain to sustain rigorous configuration control across the production lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience in manufacturing or production environments.
• Proven ability to develop, validate and scale manufacturing processes.
• Experience designing and commissioning tooling, jigs and fixtures.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma and CI methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior-level technical support to daily manufacturing operations and implement corrective actions.
• Lead process performance monitoring and drive improvements in quality, throughput, and cost.
• Oversee tooling design, specification, validation and lifecycle management.
• Drive NPI industrialisation and seamless transfer from R&D to production.
• Own ERP master data including routings and BOMs; ensure configuration control across lifecycle.

Education

Degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial engineering

Tools

ERP systems (D365)

Job description

• Provide senior-level technical support to daily manufacturing operations, addressing complex process issues and implementing sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead process performance monitoring, identifying systemic issues, optimising workflow, and driving improvements in quality, throughput, cost, and repeatability.
• Champion process stability and capability through advanced analysis and continuous improvement techniques.
• Lead the design, specification, validation, and lifecycle management of tooling, jigs, and fixtures, ensuring scalability, ergonomics, and robust performance.
• Oversee supplier engagement for tooling manufacture and qualification, ensuring readiness for operational deployment.
• Drive industrialisation activities for New Product Introduction (NPI), ensuring seamless transfer from R&D to volume production.
• Develop, validate, and optimise manufacturing methods using PFMEA, control plans, process capability studies, and statistical analysis.
• Provide senior influence on Design-for-Manufacture (DFM) activities in collaboration with engineering teams.
• Ensure the creation, governance, and continuous improvement of high-quality work instructions and process documentation.
• Mentor and train engineers, technicians, and operators on new processes, tooling, and best practices.
• Support internal and external audits, customer visits, and technical reviews as a subject-matter expert.
• Own and optimise ERP manufacturing master data including routings and BOMs, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and alignment with operational capabilities.
• Work closely with Planning, Supply Chain, Quality, and Engineering to maintain rigorous configuration control across the production lifecycle.
• Lead cross-functional root-cause investigations, structured problem-solving (e.g., 8D), and continuous improvement projects.
• Support automation initiatives and evaluate new technologies to enhance operational capability and efficiency.
• Collaborate with R&D on new process development, prototype build support, and the industrial readiness of novel manufacturing techniques.

Your activities

• Provide senior-level technical support to daily manufacturing operations, addressing complex process issues and implementing sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead process performance monitoring, identifying systemic issues, optimising workflow, and driving improvements in quality, throughput, cost, and repeatability.
• Champion process stability and capability through advanced analysis and continuous improvement techniques.
• Lead the design, specification, validation, and lifecycle management of tooling, jigs, and fixtures, ensuring scalability, ergonomics, and robust performance.
• Oversee supplier engagement for tooling manufacture and qualification, ensuring readiness for operational deployment.
• Drive industrialisation activities for New Product Introduction (NPI), ensuring seamless transfer from R&D to volume production.
• Develop, validate, and optimise manufacturing methods using PFMEA, control plans, process capability studies, and statistical analysis.
• Provide senior influence on Design-for-Manufacture (DFM) activities in collaboration with engineering teams.
• Ensure the creation, governance, and continuous improvement of high-quality work instructions and process documentation.
• Mentor and train engineers, technicians, and operators on new processes, tooling, and best practices.
• Support internal and external audits, customer visits, and technical reviews as a subject-matter expert.
• Own and optimise ERP manufacturing master data including routings and BOMs, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and alignment with operational capabilities.
• Work closely with Planning, Supply Chain, Quality, and Engineering to maintain rigorous configuration control across the production lifecycle.
• Lead cross-functional root-cause investigations, structured problem-solving (e.g., 8D), and continuous improvement projects.
• Support automation initiatives and evaluate new technologies to enhance operational capability and efficiency.
• Collaborate with R&D on new process development, prototype build support, and the industrial readiness of novel manufacturing techniques.

Your profile

• Essential Experience:
• Degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent engineering experience.
• Extensive hands-on experience in a manufacturing or production environment.
• Proven expertise in developing, validating, and scaling manufacturing processes.
• Demonstrated capability in designing and commissioning tooling, jigs, and fixtures.
• Significant experience in NPI, industrialisation, and transitioning processes into production.
• Strong competency in producing and governing manufacturing documentation (work instructions, control plans, process documentation, etc.).
• Advanced experience with ERP systems including routing and BOM management.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, and structured continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams including Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Desirable
• Experience working with D365 Finance and Operations (Microsoft ERP system).
• Knowledge of quality systems such as ISO9001 and AS9100.
• Experience of working with and processing optical fibres including splicing and joining.
• Technical understanding and experience of manufacturing optical devices.
• Background in automation technology selection or deployment.
• Proficiency with structured root‑cause methodologies such as 8D.

Benefits:

• Work-life integration
• Mobile working
• Flexible working hours
• Pension scheme
• Good development opportunities
• Employee discounts
• Attractive remuneration system
• Health initiatives

The WIKA Group is among the world leaders in measurement technology with its products and services. With excellent sensing solutions, we enable safe, efficient and sustainable processes. And this for more than 75 years. More than 11,000 employees are currently committed towards this end.

Together we meet the megatrends of demographic change, digitalisation and sustainability. This brings with it challenges, and many opportunities. Innovation and growth arise from new perspectives and ideas. What are yours? Join us on the way to a better future.