Materials Engineer

Abbott; Kilkenny; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family health insurance

Excellent pension scheme

Life assurance

Career development

Fantastic new facility

Growing business plus benefits

Job summary

Abbott, Kilkenny, is seeking a Manufacturing Materials Engineer to support the introduction of new or changed materials and resolve material-related issues on a high-volume line.

You will work with Validation, PMO, Operations and Global Engineering to drive continuous improvement, LEAN projects and quality compliance while mentoring junior colleagues.

Qualifications

• Minimum NFQ Level 8 in Science/Engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years in a manufacturing environment with GxP experience.
• Experience with materials/components (electrical, moulded and/or mechanical).
• Experience resolving technical challenges on high-volume automation lines.
• Experience using root-cause tools such as 6M, Ishikawa, and DMAIC.
• Six-Sigma certification or experience.

Responsibilities

• Identify root causes of component-related manufacturing issues using structured problem‑solving techniques.
• Develop DOEs, conduct testing and analyze data for continuous improvement.
• Run empirical analyses to inform decisions and support site goals.
• Support ops to resolve material challenges and deliver site outputs.
• Support validation activities related to material changes.
• Assist R&D material trials and provide feedback.
• Monitor part performance and drive improvement actions.
• Evaluate proposed changes and alternative component designs.
• Assist in resolving quality incidents and CAPA.
• Apply LEAN methodologies to drive operational excellence.
• Maintain KPI dashboards and support cross-functional improvement activities.
• Provide technical support to engineers and mentor junior associates.

Skills

Root cause analysis

Six Sigma

Lean manufacturing

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor degree in Science/Engineering

Tools

DMAIC

Ishikawa

6M

Job description

Main purpose of role

• Works with the Materials Engineering Manager and wider Technical Services team, to support the introduction of new or changed materials/components to the site.
• Helps to trouble‑shoot and resolve material related challenges for the site, by completing investigations, determining root cause, reporting out findings and proposing solutions.
• Identifies component‑related opportunities to optimise yield and OEE for daily operations and supports sustaining of materials / components for the site.
• Works closely with various stakeholders including, but not limited to: Validation, PMO, Operations, Global Engineering and Quality.

Main responsibilities

• Identify root cause of component‑related manufacturing issues using structured problem‑solving techniques.
• Develop DOEs (Design of Experiments), complete testing and analyse data for continuous improvement activities and report out findings.
• Run empirical and experimental analysis and use data to make decisions.
• Support site Ops to resolve material related challenges and deliver the output as per site goals.
• Support Validation activities related to material changes.
• Support R&D material trials and provide feedback.
• Monitor performance of parts and drive the performance related actions.
• Evaluate proposed changes and alternative components/designs.
• Assist in the resolution of Quality Incidents and CAPA.
• Bring materials related learnings from line 1 to future lines.
• Apply LEAN methodologies to drive operational excellence.
• Support the delivery of site specific KPI’s and reporting, including maintaining visual dashboards.
• Participate in cross‑functional activities as necessary, to ensure continual improvement, safety and compliance.
• Analyse complex processes and problems and identify areas of improvement and risk.
• Analyse data to identify trends and potential improvements, ensuring compliance with industry standards and global regulations.
• Suggest and support new methods or materials for continual improvement of quality and efficiency.
• Provide technical support to other engineers within the group and mentor and develop junior associates.
• Support relevant site teams for BOMs and Agile related work.
• Learn, challenge, develop and maintain a working knowledge of Abbott Quality Policy and Procedures.

Qualifications & experience

• Minimum NFQ Level 8 in Science/Engineering or a relevant qualification.
• Minimum 5 years working in a manufacturing environment – GxP experience preferred.
• Experience working with materials/components (incl. electrical, moulded and/or mechanical).
• Experience resolving technical challenges on a high‑volume automation line.
• Experience using 6M, Ishikawa, DMAIC or other root cause analysis tools.
• Six‑Sigma.

What we offer

• Family health insurance.
• Excellent pension scheme.
• Life assurance.
• Career development.
• Fantastic new facility.
• Growing business plus access to many more benefits.

Abbott is an equal opportunities employer.