Senior Advanced Engineering Lead - Advanced Manufacturing Scale-Up; assembly electrification and injection

Senior Advanced Engineering Lead - Advanced Manufacturing Scale-Up (assembly with electrification and injection moulding inputs) Coventry Up to £70,000 plus car/car allowance, 33 days holiday (including bank holidays), pension, bonus, life assurance, employee assistance programme, wellbeing support, and flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme About the Role

Unipart Manufacturing is launching a flagship, fast-paced manufacturing project in Coventry, combining high-volume electrification assembly with complex injection moulding inputs. Fully aligned with Unipart’s Sector and Growth Strategy and The Unipart Way Forward Plan, this critical project will scale from zero to over 200 employees within just four months. We are seeking a high-calibre Senior Advanced Engineering Leader (Engineering Manager) with deep technical expertise in electrification and injection moulding assembly.

Reporting directly to senior executive leadership, you will drive operational engineering strategy, building a high-performing engineering capability from the ground up.

As part of your key responsibilities you’ll focus on:

• Engineering Strategy and NPI - Lead the operational engineering strategy, capital equipment/tooling investments, plant layouts, and NPI processes to ensure fast-paced project delivery
• Electrification and Moulding Technical Delivery - Direct process control, equipment care (TPM), and engineering solutions across high-volume electrification assembly lines and polymer/injection moulding inputs
• Quality and QCD Performance - Maintain best-practice tooling and process specifications to hit quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) targets, maintaining zero-defect and right-first-time engineering standards
• Lean Culture and The Unipart Way - Embed Unipart Way systems, root-cause problem-solving (FMEA), continuous improvement tools, and standardised processes across the engineering team
• Compliance and Standards - Oversee process control adherence, safety rules, AQAP 2110 / AS9100D, and ISO 14001 / Def Stan 00-056 standards, ensuring full engineering compliance, configuration management, and defence requirements across all production lines
• Change Management - This is a fast-paced, evolving project where your scope will grow alongside the initiative itself - while core deliverables are clear, flexibility is key - you’ll have the opportunity to shape processes, adapt to changing priorities, and directly influence the project's direction as it unfolds

We’d love you to have the following skills and experience, but please apply if you think you’d be able to perform well in this role!

• Engineering Leadership - Proven track record managing an engineering department or senior engineering function, ideally within the Defence sector
• Quality and Systems Background - Defence or Aerospace manufacturing background (MoD / NATO supply chain) with experience operating under AQAP 2110 or AS9100D frameworks
• Line Validation and Inspection - Experience with First Article Inspection Reports (FAIR / AS9102) and formal defence line-validation processes (AS9145 or Def Stan 05-61)
• Configuration and Safety Management - Knowledge of Defence Configuration Management standards and Safety Risk Assessment frameworks like Def Stan 00-056 or POEMS (Project Environment and Safety Management System)
• Qualifications - Undergraduate degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or Production), Science, or equivalent demonstrable experience; FMEA/Lean Six Sigma expertise is highly desirable

We are a supply chain performance improvement partner. We Design, Make, Move, and Improve components in our customers’ supply chains, keeping their operations and assets moving and working better, for longer. Through our commitment to…