Technical Lead - Manufacturing Engineering

HSSMI; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Electric company car (2x vehicles)

Personal and family healthcare

Share equity options

Performance related bonus

Maternity/Paternity policy

8% non-contributory pension

Job summary

HSSMI Consulting Ltd, a sustainable manufacturing innovation consultancy, seeks a Technical Lead – Manufacturing Engineering in Birmingham. The role leads process development, facility layout, and capability planning for Tier 1/2 clients, shaping lean, data-driven manufacturing solutions.

You will coordinate multi-disciplinary teams, drive process improvements, and assist in securing grant funding. Hybrid work, with strong emphasis on delivering industrial engineering excellence across UK and

Qualifications

• Minimum of HNC in relevant engineering discipline (e.g., Manufacturing Systems, Production Engineering or Mechanical / Electrical Engineering).
• 3+ years’ launch experience in Manufacturing, Process, Production or Layout Engineering; automotive/aerospace/FMCG sectors preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of manufacturing processes and facilities from concept to final layout approval.
• Head up process cycle time calculation, process allocation, work balance and headcount planning.
• Develop and cost Bill of Equipment to meet process specifications and support quotations.
• Coordinate 2D/3D layout of manufacturing systems ensuring cross-discipline coverage.
• Develop and maintain standardized internal documentation, tools and services for project delivery.
• Support consortia and research proposals to secure grant funding for innovative projects.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Data analytics

Problem solving

Communication skills

MS Excel

Project leadership

MOST/MODAPTS

Education

HNC in relevant engineering

Tools

ERP

Excel

Office365

VBA

Job description

Role:

Technical Lead – Manufacturing Engineering

Location

Birmingham

Reports to

Process Engineering Manager

About HSSMI

HSSMI Consulting Ltd is a sustainable manufacturing innovation consultancy, focusing on helping manufacturers scale operations, improve productivity, and adopt circular economy practices. Since 2012, HSSMI has collaborated with government bodies, established manufacturers, and start-ups to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions.

The company's expertise spans strategic manufacturing consultancy, digital manufacturing tools, lean manufacturing, battery technologies, hydrogen propulsion, and the circular economy. Through research and practical engineering services, HSSMI is dedicated to advancing the UK manufacturing industry while fostering environmental responsibility and competitiveness.

Here is a taste of what we do in the area of Manufacturing Engineering:

• Process development and optimisation
• Factory and layout planning
• Launch and capability planning

We are looking for a full-time Technical Lead to support the growth of our Manufacturing Engineering capability.

The successful candidates will be supporting HSSMI’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturing clients with the concept development, process engineering and layout of new and retooled facilities to support their business needs, with a focus on delivering excellence in all Industrial Engineering aspects.

Principal accountabilities:

• To lead the development of manufacturing processes and facilities from blank sheet through to concept phase, to final layout approval by the customer.
• To lead the development and optimisation of process cycle time calculation, process allocation, work balance and headcount planning.
• To lead the development of Bill of Sequence and Bill of Process documentation that supports standardisation for customer facility roll out.
• To develop and cost the Bill of Equipment that supports process requirement specification, and thus facilitating technical specification and quotation.
• To co-ordinate the 2D / 3D layout of a manufacturing system that ensures all interacting disciplines are considered and catered for.
• To lead the development and maintenance of internal standardised documentation, tools and services that supports the swift, accurate and repeatable commercial delivery of customer projects.
• Lead the building of consortia and development of research proposals to secure grant funding to de-risk highly innovative projects.
• Generate new leads to support the securement of commercial orders for the provision of consultancy services in the area of Manufacturing Strategy.
• Keep abreast of the latest innovations and trends in manufacturing and feed into service definition and delivery.
• Occasionally represent HSSMI outcomes of projects and strategic aims at local and international events.
• Maintain personal and team compliance regarding internal processes and procedures.
• The role may require you to sometimes work at our customers’ premises (in accordance with government guidelines and health and safety requirements post-COVID-19 and beyond).

Job context

The Manufacturing Engineering Solution area is a broad and high growth area within HSSMI, which has seen an increasing requirement to support customer’s manufacturing system design as well as implementation of key new projects within UK and global manufacturing.

The Technical Lead role will work closely daily with the Manufacturing Technical Specialists and Manufacturing Engineering Manager, to develop innovative solutions and solve problems for key clients across a spectrum of industries.

Knowledge & Experience

• Minimum of HNC in relevant engineering discipline (e.g., Manufacturing Systems, Production Engineering or Mechanical / Electrical Engineering).
• 3 or more years’ launch experience in one or multiple of these fields: Manufacturing, Process, Production or Layout Engineering in either public or private sector. Ideally either in the Automotive, Aerospace or FMCG areas or with manufacturing OEM’s and their supply base.
• Proficient in the use of Predetermined Motion Time Systems such as MOST or MODAPTS.
• Knowledge / experience of key process and manufacturing system development in different industries which is demonstrable.
• Good understanding of end-to-end operational requirements in a manufacturing facility.
• Essential understanding of lean manufacturing principles. This includes value stream mapping, standardised work, continuous flow and pull / just-in-time production, takt time and line balancing, 5S and workplace organisation, Kaizen and continuous improvement, root cause problem solving (e.g. 5 Whys), and error-proofing (poka-yoke), together with the ability to apply these principles practically in facility and process design.
• Experience of developing manufacturing facilities, co-ordination of machine tool suppliers and launch of equipment with tight deadlines.
• Strong Data Analytics skills - you are IT literate with previous experience with ERP, Statistical Analysis and MS Office, with a particular focus on Excel. You are able to build and structure your own datasets and models from scratch, and to interpret and draw clear conclusions from data produced by others, using functions such as VLOOKUP, pivot tables, charts and conditional formatting, and ideally knowledge of VBA.
• Competent in the use of Office365, engineering software and processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong demonstrable ability to analyse and solve problems in a fast-paced environment. An independent problem solver who can make high quality judgments and decisions quickly. Must be detail-oriented with a demonstrated ability to self-motivate and follow projects through to completion.
• Excellent communication skills combined with ability to comfortably and confidently present to all levels within an organisation is required.
• Ability to assess operational issues, developing business cases, blueprint improvement strategies, and design transformational improvement strategies.

What we offer

• Starting salary of £40,000 increasing over time and based on performance.
• Hybrid working arrangement, with 80% of the working week based from home and 20% based in the office.
• Electric Company car scheme (2x vehicles per employee)
• Personal and Family healthcare
• Share equity options
• Performance related Bonus scheme
• Competitive Maternity / Paternity policy
• 8% non-contributory pension

Any applicant who meets the requirements will be invited to an initial interview. This is regardless of any identification with BAME or LGBTQ+, or on the basis of other factors such as veteran status, national origin, or disability.