Jobs in Staplehurst

Manufacturing Engineer
Location: Marden, Kent
Department: Manufacturing Engineering
Salary: £36 – 45k DOE
The Opportunity
Are you a practical, solutions-focused Manufacturing Engineer who enjoys improving the way products are built?
We’re looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to join an established engineering and manufacturing environment in Marden, Kent. This is a hands-on role where you’ll have the opportunity to make a visible impact on production efficiency, quality, safety and continuous improvement.
You’ll work closely with teams across Production, Quality, Engineering, Industrialisation, Purchasing and Production Control, helping to turn ideas and engineering changes into efficient, robust and repeatable manufacturing processes.
What You'll Be Doing
You’ll play a key role in improving and developing manufacturing processes, with responsibilities including:
* Developing clear, standardised build processes and digital work instructions to support production, quality and training.
* Creating and maintaining process documentation, including build-stage sign-offs and key assembly controls.
* Working with Quality and Inspection teams to build quality into the manufacturing process and promote a right-first-time / no-fault-forward approach.
* Supporting visual management on the shop floor, including KPI boards, targets and performance measures.
* Working with Kaizen and continuous improvement teams to deliver practical improvement projects, including 6S initiatives.
* Applying Lean Manufacturing principles to identify and eliminate waste, improve flow, reduce handling and optimise line balancing.
* Identifying opportunities to improve productivity and challenging existing processes and standards where appropriate.
* Designing and implementing jigs, fixtures and specialist tooling to improve assembly processes.
* Developing racks, trolleys and handling solutions to improve the storage and movement of components around the factory.
* Improving workstation organisation through dedicated tooling and shadow-board systems.
* Acting as a key point of contact for production tooling and maintaining the tooling register.
* Creating and updating shop-floor layouts using CAD to optimise workflow and production flow.
* Reviewing engineering changes and assessing their impact on manufacturing processes.
* Updating production routings and work instructions following engineering changes.
* Maintaining and developing manufacturing routings within SAP to support efficient production output.
* Reviewing production data, trends and build times to identify opportunities for improvement.
* Supporting the creation and review of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and FMEA documentation.
* Taking ownership of improvement projects and delivering measurable results.
* Identifying and helping resolve Health & Safety issues within the manufacturing environment.
* Supporting other manufacturing and engineering projects as required.
What We're Looking For
We’re looking for someone who combines strong engineering knowledge with a practical, hands-on approach.
You’ll ideally have:
- Experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering or a similar environment.
- A good understanding of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement techniques.
- Experience with tools such as A3 problem solving, Kaizen and 6S.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and implement effective solutions.
- Experience developing manufacturing processes, routings and work instructions.
- The ability to review production build times and understand the factors driving variation.
- Experience using SAP or a similar ERP/MRP system, particularly for production routings and component allocation.
- Experience creating and managing digital work instructions.
- Experience with SolidWorks or AutoCAD, with the ability to produce accurate technical drawings. 2D AutoCAD experience would be advantageous.
- Experience with VSM and FMEA documentation would be beneficial.
- Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- Excellent attention to detail and a methodical approach to your work.
- The confidence to present ideas, challenge existing processes and communicate solutions to people at all levels.
- A practical and pragmatic mindset, with the creativity to find better ways of doing things.
Why Join?
This is an excellent opportunity for a Manufacturing Engineer who wants more than simply maintaining existing processes.
You’ll be encouraged to challenge, improve and innovate, with the opportunity to see your ideas implemented directly on the shop floor. You’ll work across a broad range of manufacturing engineering activities, from tooling and layouts through to Lean improvement, digital work instructions, process optimisation and engineering change.
If you enjoy solving real-world manufacturing problems and making measurable improvements, this could be a great next step for your career.
Interested?
If you’re a Manufacturing Engineer looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact on productivity, quality and continuous improvement, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply now to find out more