Principal Manufacturing Engineer

A leading defence engineering organisation is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to take a key leadership role within its manufacturing function. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional looking to combine technical expertise with team leadership while supporting the production of highly advanced engineering systems.

As a senior member of the manufacturing team, you will be responsible for leading engineers across multiple projects, ensuring manufacturing activities are delivered effectively, safely, and in line with programme requirements. You will also play a central role in driving continuous improvement initiatives and supporting the future development of manufacturing capabilities.

• Lead and support a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing both technical guidance and day-to-day management
• Coordinate workloads and priorities to ensure successful project delivery
• Drive continuous improvement activities across manufacturing operations
• Support production growth initiatives and increased manufacturing capacity
• Develop and enhance manufacturing processes, methods, and equipment to improve efficiency and repeatability
• Work closely with design, quality, production, and supplier teams to ensure products are optimised for manufacture
• Lead and review process risk assessments, including PFMEA activities
• Support non-conformance investigations and corrective action implementation
• Contribute to future manufacturing strategies, including digitalisation, lean initiatives, and factory modernisation projects
• Mentor and develop engineering team members to support capability growth across the function

• Engineering apprenticeship with HNC/HND qualification, or a degree in an engineering discipline
• Previous experience within a manufacturing engineering environment
• Demonstrable leadership or team management experience
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, continuous improvement methodologies, and process validation
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and technical documentation
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities across multidisciplinary teams
• Self‑motivated with the ability to manage priorities and deliver results with minimal supervision

This position offers the opportunity to influence manufacturing strategy, lead high-performing engineering teams, and contribute to the delivery of complex products within a highly innovative and technologically advanced environment.