Lead Production Engineer

Destinus; Hengelo; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus in Hengelo, Netherlands, seeks a Lead Production Engineer to lead the engineering side of our production operations. You will be hands-on on the floor, solving technical challenges, and driving production performance while building a strong engineering culture.

The role requires guiding manufacturing processes, tooling, and documentation; collaborating with Design Engineering and Quality; and mentoring engineers to ensure efficient, scalable UAV production.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in production/ manufacturing engineering in complex hardware environments.
• Hands-on production floor involvement to resolve issues and improve processes.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specs.
• Experience leading technical projects across engineering and operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead production engineering activities and provide technical direction to engineers and production teams.
• Own and continuously improve manufacturing and assembly processes for quality and output.
• Provide hands-on technical support to production and resolve issues impacting quality or delivery.
• Define and maintain production documentation including work instructions and tooling needs.
• Identify bottlenecks and risks and implement practical improvements.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering to improve manufacturability and implement changes.
• Support implementation and validation of new tooling, equipment, and processes.
• Use production data and KPIs to drive measurable improvements.
• Mentor production engineers and technicians and promote strong technical standards.
• Collaborate with Quality, Supply Chain, Industrialization, Operations, and Engineering to keep production moving.

Skills

Production engineering

Manufacturing engineering

Industrial engineering

Aerospace engineering

Root cause analysis

Problem solving

Team leadership

Technical documentation

Read engineering drawings

Floor-to-floor collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering

Job description

About the Role

Imagine this. You are the technical force behind a production environment where advanced aerospace systems need to be built reliably, efficiently, and at increasing scale. As Lead Production Engineer, you will lead the engineering side of our production operations in Hengelo, ensuring our teams have the processes, tools, documentation, and technical support they need to deliver.

This is a hands‑on leadership role. You will be close to the hardware and the production floor, solving technical challenges, improving processes, and driving production performance while helping build a strong engineering culture within manufacturing.

At Destinus, we are revolutionizing the defense industry with cutting‑edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our innovative technologies are designed to meet the unique demands of modern defense operations, delivering unparalleled speed, precision, and cost effectiveness. Destinus partners with government agencies and defense organizations worldwide to provide advanced solutions for mission‑critical operations, enabling a new era of efficiency and technological superiority. Join us in shaping the future of defense with groundbreaking aerospace innovations.

What You’ll Do

• Lead production engineering activities and provide technical direction to engineers and production teams

• Own and continuously improve manufacturing and assembly processes to increase quality, efficiency, reliability, and output

• Provide hands‑on technical support to production and resolve manufacturing issues that could impact quality or delivery

• Define and maintain production documentation including work instructions, assembly procedures, tooling requirements, and process specifications

• Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and technical risks and implement practical improvements

• Work closely with Design Engineering to improve manufacturability and introduce engineering changes into production

• Support the implementation and validation of new tooling, equipment, processes, and manufacturing technologies

• Use production data and KPIs to identify improvement opportunities and drive measurable results

• Mentor production engineers and technicians and help develop strong technical standards and best practices across the production environment

• Collaborate closely with Quality, Supply Chain, Industrialization, Operations, and Engineering to keep production moving

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field

• Strong experience in production engineering, manufacturing engineering, or industrial engineering within aerospace, defense, automotive, or another complex hardware environment

• Proven experience supporting and improving manufacturing or assembly operations in a hands‑on production environment

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, assembly methods, tooling, technical documentation, and production workflows

• Experience with root cause analysis, problem solving, process improvement, and corrective actions

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, and technical documentation

• Experience leading technical projects or teams and coordinating across multiple engineering and operational functions

• Strong hands‑on problem‑solving skills and willingness to spend time directly on the production floor

• Professional working proficiency in English. Dutch is a plus.
  

Who You Are

You are a hands‑on technical leader who takes ownership, solves problems at the source, and drives continuous improvement. You thrive close to the product, the production floor, and the people building it.

Security screening is an integral component of the selection process, ensuring that candidates meet the organization's security standards and safeguarding against potential risks.