Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Eaton South Molton Nestled in the heart of Devon, UK, the South Molton plant is home to a team of over 400 talented professionals, driving excellence in aerospace manufacturing. With a proud history dating back to 1973, this facility has grown into a powerhouse of precision engineering, delivering high-quality components to some of the world's most renowned aerospace brands.

What makes South Molton unique? Our one-of-a-kind investment casting foundry, established in 1975, sets us apart from all other Eaton Aerospace plants. Today, our focus is on designing, manufacturing, and testing top-tier aerospace components, ensuring safety, reliability, and cutting-edge innovation.

We proudly collaborate with industry giants like Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and Augusta Westland, with our main customer being Eaton’s Titchfield facility in Hampshire, UK. If you're looking for a dynamic environment, world-class engineering, and the opportunity to shape the future of aerospace, South Molton is the place to be!

What you’ll do:

• This position is responsible for supporting plant leadership in achieving business and financial goals by developing and maintaining robust manufacturing processes and leading continuous improvement / cost out initiatives across the organisation.  Additional responsibility includes executing the organisation’s strategic plan consistent with UK & European legislation, and local regulations, established industry standards, and customer requirements.
• With the team develop and maintain robust, cost efficient manufacturing processes and product structures consistent with lean manufacturing practices.
• Ensure root cause and failure analysis is performed as required.
• Lead cost-out events and promote culture of continuous improvement.
• Apply lean manufacturing techniques as means to eliminate waste and deliver products to customer’s expectations.
• Implement methods and practices to reduce variation.
• Develop team’s ability to understand source(s) of variation by applying Six Sigma Design and Development strategies.
• Participates in concurrent engineering efforts and critical design reviews to minimise product development costs and maximise useful life of products.
• Conducts Design For Manufacturing and Value Engineering initiatives as applicable.
• Develops work breakdown structures as a tool to develop cost estimates.
• Participate in new product development projects using Pro Launch as a tool to articulate deliverables and a vehicle to commit to schedules
• Coordinate manufacturing liaison/s for products from inception through shipment to customer.
• Develop and integrate new processes and methodologies as to provide competitive advantages for the business.
• Recommends Capital Appropriation Requests (including payback and net present value analysis) for acquisition of equipment to support emerging and existing technologies.
• Responsible for the training of associates as required, inline with APEX, OCA expectations etc.
• Communicates vision of organisation via verbal communication and actions.
• Coordinate with multiple functions to prepare consolidated plant, customer, and product status information and action plans.
• Develop, implement, and audit complex process procedures/work instructions (in-house and within the Supplier Base), when required, to alleviate production/quality problems and to achieve overall business objectives.
• Ensure robust plans are developed and monitored to ensure functional KPI’s are met

Qualifications:

• Relevant Engineering Degree, or equivalent qualification

Skills:

• Solid understanding of engineering design and product reliability concepts as to facilitate analysis of fluid dynamics, thermal dynamics, electronic circuits, etc
• Detailed knowledge of lean…