Manufacturing Engineer Fri

Prismatic is a technology development company, specialising in the design, manufacture and delivery of innovative, high value aerospace products and systems. Prismatic is a subsidiary of BAE systems, led by a technically and commercially focused team. Our cutting‑edge systems (such as the high‑altitude PHASA‑35) have clear commercial value, are developed at pace and address critical customer needs.

As a Manufacturing Engineer working in the UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) aerospace sector, you will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of manufacturing instructions, planning, defining, implementing and improving production systems and processes that enable efficient, compliant and repeatable manufacturing of UAS platforms and their subsystems. You will work across cross‑functional teams (design, quality, supply chain, production, compliance) to ensure new products are manufacturable, cost‑effective and aligned with defence/aerospace quality standards.

• Plan and optimise manufacturing processes for UAS airframe structures, composites, avionics assemblies, and subsystems.
• Develop, test and refine process flows, layouts, and work standards for UAS production (e.g. lean cell layouts, line balancing).
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation such as:
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
  • Work instructions and shop‑floor routings
  • Process and quality cards
  • Bills of materials and manufacturing process charts.
• Support New Product Introduction activities:
  • Gap analysis between prototype designs and production readiness
  • Process design and validation for new or revised UAS platforms
  • Production trials, capability studies and sign‑off.
• Apply DFMA principles to influence design decisions that improve manufacturability and reduce production risk and cost.
• Work closely with design engineers to ensure components meet manufacturing capability and quality standards.
• Analyse production data and drive continuous improvement initiatives:
  • Reduce defects, cost, lead time and variability
  • Increase throughput and yield
  • Implement Lean / Six Sigma tools across production lines.
• Support shop‑floor engineers and technicians by diagnosing and resolving manufacturing problems (root cause analysis, corrective actions).
• Manage Non‑Conformance Reports (NCRs) and process deviation investigations in coordination with quality teams.
• Use engineering and production systems:
  • CAD/CAM
  • Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) / SAP ME
  • ERP systems for routing and BOM control.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety and aerospace quality standards.
• Where applicable, support regulatory compliance (e.g. airworthiness standards for UAS).

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or a comparable field, or substantial equivalent professional experience.
• Experience in a manufacturing engineering role within aerospace, defence, or a high‑reliability regulated sector.
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes including assembly, machining, composites, and electronics integrations typical for UAS systems.
• Proficient in process documentation, engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with Unmanned Aerial Systems production, low‑volume/high complexity manufacturing (e.g. avionics, composites).
• Knowledge of aerospace quality standards (e.g. AS9100).
• Understanding of SAP, MES, MRP/ERP systems.
• Exposure to root‑cause analysis tools (FMEA, 8D).

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.
• Self‑motivated with a proactive approach to continuous improvement.

• Support test flight trials inside and outside of UK, specifically preparing avionics for flight.
• Contribute to the generation of test plans, organising and presenting at test readiness review boards.
• Support qualification and acceptance testing, recording/analysing results, presenting at test review boards and generating end‑item data packs.
• Carry out analysis tasks from flight data.
• Work with Lead…