Manufacturing Engineer – Metallics and Assembly

Job Description Summary

Help build and sustain the metallic and assembly processes behind our propeller systems

At Dowty, a GE Aerospace company, we design, manufacture, repair and overhaul propeller systems for Military and Civil applications from our state-of-the-art facility in Gloucestershire, UK.

In this 18-month fixed-term role you will join our Manufacturing Engineering team, working on the metallic components and assembly processes behind our hydraulic control units and propeller sub-assemblies. You will turn design intent into robust, repeatable production solutions for new and developing products, planning and running hands-on trials and helping us produce development hardware safely and in full compliance with our requirements. You will also help us keep delivering an airworthy product at pace. The work you take on will be shaped by the needs of the business and your experience.

You will be a key point of contact for Manufacturing Engineering, working closely with colleagues across design, planning, operations, quality and the shop floor, alongside a team of experienced engineers who will help you settle in. We are looking for the right attitude and a strong manufacturing engineering foundation, and we will support you in building the specific technical knowledge.

Job Description

Developing and proving processes

• Design collaboration: Work with design engineering to ensure manufacturability and assembly considerations are built in throughout product development, and give feedback to the design team on manufacturing challenges.

• Trials: Plan and run hands-on trials across a range of materials and processes, making sure they are carried out safely, with appropriate risk assessments and safe systems of work in place, and that the results are captured and understood.

• Development hardware: Take a hands-on role in the manufacture of development parts, making sure they are produced in a compliant way, with the correct documentation, records and configuration control, to validate assembly, metallic component and related processes and technologies.

• Process development: Create and develop production techniques from raw material to finished product and establish robust process parameters, with Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost (SQDC) at the centre of every decision.

• APQP and FMEA: Contribute to Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and FMEA activities, helping to cascade critical characteristics into control plans and into internal and supplier quality systems.

Instructions, training and ramp-up

• Work instructions and routings: Author and iteratively improve clear, concise work instructions and routings that align with technical specifications.

• Training: Stay on top of training so that operators are trained and supported through changes in work instructions and manufacturing techniques.

• Enabling ramp-up: Help the team prepare for the next stage of production by combining problem solving, process optimisation and resource optimisation, so that processes are proven, capable and ready to scale.

Equipment and tooling

• Equipment and part lists: Define and maintain equipment and part lists, including spare part requirements for shop floor tooling, in line with manufacturing safety documentation.

• Fixtures, tooling and technology: Propose and develop new technology initiatives for fixtures, tooling and equipment that improve our manufacturing processes.

• Installation and commissioning: Provide technical process input to the installation and commissioning of new equipment, supporting continuous improvement and root cause analysis to meet SQDC targets.

Solving problems and driving improvement

• Hands-on problem solving: Work directly with manufacturing, quality and engineering teams to resolve technical issues, presenting data-driven solutions using structured Lean and problem-solving methodologies (Six Sigma, Red X, 8D).

• Root cause corrective action: Lead and support Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) activities across the business, and represent the Manufacturing Engineering team in wider forums.

• Data and process records: Create and develop manufacturing data collection and process records, and use statistical techniques to analyse production data and identify significant trends and emerging production issues.

• Salvage and rework: Develop and authorise product salvage and rework instructions to keep production flowing while maintaining compliance.

• Continuous improvement: Contribute to year-on-year improvements in key manufacturing metrics such as turnaround time (TAT), yield, cycle time and defects-per-unit, and help develop a modern Manufacturing Engineering function that enhances productivity and quality.

Working with others

• Your team: Contribute to a diverse, mixed skill-set team in a self-motivated, pragmatic manner, and work with subcontracted suppliers and vendors where required.

What you’ll bring

• A proactive, curious and safety-first attitude, with the drive to learn quickly, take ownership and see things through

• A collaborative approach, with the ability to coordinate actions and priorities across teams and to communicate progress and risks clearly in verbal, presentation and written form

• An engineering qualification at HNC level or above, or equivalent knowledge and experience in manufacturing engineering within an assembly and/or metallic component manufacturing environment

• An understanding of how structured manufacturing engineering works in a larger organisation, including process discipline, documentation and working across functions

• A structured approach to problem solving (Lean, Six Sigma, 8D) and the ability to influence with data

• The ability to interpret technical engineering drawings, BOMs and technical specifications

• Practical knowledge of manufacturing and assembly environments and mechanical systems, and an interest in, or exposure to, development builds, trials or new product introduction (NPI)

• Knowledge of health and safety (H&S) regulations and means of compliance, including planning and carrying out trials safely

Highly desirable experience

• Experience of machining and metallic assembly or joining processes, such as brazing

• Proven experience as a Manufacturing Engineer in a manufacturing environment, and/or a degree or HNC in a manufacturing or engineering discipline

• Experience of process development and validation, including FMEAs, control plans and APQP requirements

• Experience of creating and maintaining work instructions and routings within the aerospace industry, and of configuration control

• Understanding of, or experience with, hydraulic systems and hydraulic control systems, including hydraulic test rigs

• Previous responsibility for the upkeep and development of fixtures, tooling and equipment

• Experience with 3D Catia, 2D AutoCAD and/or another CAD package, and the ability to define and interpret Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) requirements

• Experience of working within a highly regulated manufacturing industry (preferably Aviation, but not essential)

Why join us

• Work that matters. Help develop and produce advanced propeller systems that fly around the world, with real influence over process and design decisions.

• A modern site. Be part of our state-of-the-art facility in Gloucestershire.

Flexible Working

GE supports and encourages flexible working arrangements, where possible, and recognises the benefits to employees of having a positive work-life balance.

Total Reward

At GE Aerospace we understand the importance of Total Reward. Our flexible benefits plan, called FlexChoice, gives you freedom, choice and flexibility in the way you receive your benefits, as well as giving you the opportunity to make savings where possible.

As a new joiner to GE we are pleased to be able to offer you the following as default in your benefit fund, which you then can tailor to meet