Manufacturing Methods Engineer

Manufacturing Methods Engineer
Location: Cramlington
Salary: GBP37,000 - GBP42,000 per year
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8.30am - 4.30pm. Fridays, 8am - 1pm.
Job type: Full-time, permanent
Bridge Recruitment is helping one of our established clients recruit for an experienced Manufacturing Methods Engineer to join their ever-expanding team.
Responsibilities of the Manufacturing Methods Engineer:
- Support Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA).
- Develop and implement manufacturing processes for new products.
- Create manufacturing routings, work instructions and SOPs.
- Define cycle times and production methods.
- Design and validate tooling, fixtures and jigs.
- Support pilot builds and production readiness.
- Validate processes and transition products to production.
- Optimise manufacturing processes to improve productivity, quality and efficiency.
- Reduce costs, cycle times and waste.
- Improve layouts, material flow and ergonomics.
- Identify automation opportunities.
- Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives.
- Provide engineering support to production.
- Resolve production issues with sustainable corrective actions.
- Lead root cause analysis (8D, 5 Why, Fishbone).
- Support engineering and process changes.
- Train operators on new processes and best practices.
- Define equipment requirements and specifications.
- Support supplier selection, FAT and SAT.
- Coordinate equipment installation, commissioning and validation.
- Work with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability.
- Develop and maintain manufacturing documentation, including SOPs, work instructions, routings, Bills of Process, standard times and visual aids.
- Ensure documentation complies with quality system requirements.
- Lead Lean and Continuous Improvement projects.
- Apply Lean tools including 5S, Kaizen, SMED, VSM, Kanban, Poka-Yoke and Visual Management.
- Monitor performance and implement improvement opportunities.
- Support cost reduction and operational excellence.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, ethical behavior and operational excellence.
Requirements of the Manufacturing Methods Engineer:
- Bachelor''s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline.
- Minimum 3-5 years'' experience in a manufacturing engineering or methods engineering role.
- Experience within an electromechanical, electrical or electronics manufacturing environment.
- Experience in New Product Introduction (NPI) and process industrialisation is highly desirable.
- Experience applying Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement methodologies in a production environment.
- Experience analysing operational data and driving performance improvements.
- Certification in Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt or higher) is desirable.
- Knowledge of several of the following manufacturing processes is desirable:
o Mechanical assembly
o Electrical assembly and wiring
o Electronic assembly
o PCB assembly
o Manual and automated soldering
o Crimping
o Torque-controlled fastening
o Adhesive bonding
o Electromechanical integration
o Functional testing
o Electrical testing
o Mechanical inspection
o Final product testing
If you feel like you meet the above criteria for the Manufacturing Methods Engineer role, then please apply now!