Manufacturing Composites Engineer

Manufacturing Composites Engineer
Location: London, West Sussex and South Coast- minimum 2 days onsite preferred
Type: Permanent
Sector: Defence / Aerospace / UAV
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Overview
We are supporting a growing defence engineering business operating in the unmanned systems space, with a particular focus on offensive drone capability. As the business scales from product development into higher-volume delivery, they are looking to appoint a Manufacturing Composites Engineer to help shape and support the move toward a more scalable composites manufacturing operation.
This role is likely to suit someone from an F1, aerospace, motorsport, or advanced composites manufacturing background who can bring practical experience of moving from lower-volume, development-led manufacture into more repeatable and efficient production.
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Role purpose
The successful candidate will help define and improve the manufacturing plan for composite products, with a focus on building a clear route to higher-volume production. This will include reviewing current manufacturing methods, workforce and shift planning, production flow, and supplier capability to support ramp-up.
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Key responsibilities

• Review and develop the manufacturing plan for composite products as the business moves toward higher-volume production
• Assess current and future production capacity, including labour, shifts, tooling, and process flow
• Support the transition from prototype or lower-rate manufacture into more efficient and repeatable production
• Identify manufacturing bottlenecks, process improvements, and opportunities to improve output, quality, and efficiency
• Work closely with engineering to ensure products are designed with manufacturability in mind
• Help define what the future manufacturing organisation should look like, including headcount, structure, and shift requirements
• Support supplier strategy where composite or specialist manufacturing inputs are outsourced
• Contribute to the development of a scalable manufacturing model aligned to business growth and customer demand
• Work closely with programme, operations, and engineering teams to ensure manufacturing readiness supports delivery

• Strong background in composites manufacturing
• Experience in F1, aerospace, motorsport, UAV, or advanced engineering environments
• Experience moving from development / prototype manufacture into more production-led environments
• Strong understanding of production planning, manufacturing readiness, and process improvement
• Able to assess how many people, what shift structure, and what operational model is needed to support production ramp-up
• Good understanding of Design for Manufacture (DFM) and how engineering choices affect production outcomes
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, scaling engineering business

• Experience supporting high-volume or scaled composites production
• Exposure to outsourced manufacturing models
• Knowledge of aerospace or defence quality standards
• Experience in building or improving manufacturing cells, workflows, or production strategies