Manufacturing Automation Engineer
A leading engineering business with over a century of innovation is seeking a Manufacturing Automation Engineer to support the implementation of automated welding and assembly at its North West engineering centre. The company supplies high-quality engineering solutions to defence customers worldwide and has a skilled workforce spanning Engineering, Project Management, Business Support and Operations.
About the role
You will provide hands-on automation expertise across steel/armour hull welding and aluminium bridge fabrication lines, identifying opportunities for automation and specifying capital equipment such as robotic welding cells, CNC fabrication centres and automated material handling systems. The role includes CAPEX business case work (CBA and ROI), leading installation and Site Acceptance Testing of new robotic systems, and working with maintenance to establish preventative maintenance schedules.
You will program and optimise robot paths for complex geometries (multi-pass heavy plate welding and aluminium joining), use Off-Line Programming tools to minimise downtime during NPI, and troubleshoot PLC logic and HMI interfaces. You will drive continuous improvement through data analysis, Lean tools and scrap reduction, mentor operators in robot intervention and safety, and coordinate cross-functional teams in Quality, Production and Maintenance.
You will develop processes to improve dimensional stability through effective jigs, fixtures and alignment, create SOPs and technical documentation, and implement risk management including FMEAs for automated lines. Ensuring compliance with EHS requirements (including CE/UKCA, PUWER) and meeting manufacturing and quality standards will be central to the role. You will also contribute DfM input into early NPI stages and support project management with cross-functional project execution.
What we’re looking for
We are looking for someone with:
HND or degree in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics.
Proven experience in a similar automation-focused manufacturing role.
Proficiency in at least one major robot language and experience with PLCs and HMIs.
Experience of Lean Manufacturing, process planning and optimisation, and analysing process data (cycle time, takt, RFT).
Understanding of large-scale manufacturing, quality control techniques (e.g. Six Sigma, Lean) and practical NPI experience.
Ability to identify and mitigate technical, schedule and cost risks, plus sound knowledge of relevant HSE regulations.
Project management accreditation (e.g. PRINCE2, Agile, PMP) and Lean/Six Sigma certification would be advantageous.
Strong IT skills, including MS Office.
Benefits
You will receive a competitive salary, an attractive pension scheme, life assurance and a company sick-pay scheme that increases with service. The site operates a half-day Friday, offers free on-site parking and EV charging, cycle-to-work, wellbeing initiatives (including free fruit) and additional holidays and long-service rewards. An Employee Assistance Programme supports health and wellbeing.
The organisation is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and holds a Gold-level employer recognition award, actively encouraging applications from service leavers, reservists and cadet force adults. If you are passionate about automation and want to make an impact in a modern, evolving manufacturing environment, we would be keen to hear from you.
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