Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer- CNC
Career Level: 4 – Advanced Research Engineer
Department or Business Sector: Workshop
Location: Coventry
Job Type: Permanent
Start Date: As soon as possible
Working hours: 36 Hours per week (4 Day week and WFH available)
Salary & Benefits: Competitive salary. Benefits include private medical, 2x pension contribution, electric lease car scheme, cycle to work scheme, 20 days holiday (plus bank holidays) and more.
The MTC is a well-respected and admired organisation that is home to some of the brightest minds in engineering that work with cutting edge technology to drive innovation. We work alongside 100s of industrial clients across a range of sectors including automotive, aerospace, rail, informatics, food & drink, construction/civil engineering, electronics, oil & gas and defence. We help our clients to advance their technological and engineering capabilities in order to improve their business efficiency, capability and competitiveness. We help to bridge the gap between academia and industry by proving new ideas in an agile setting.
We have a range of engineering capabilities covering Research & Development, Advanced Manufacturing Management, Factory Design and Training. Often referred to as one of the ‘Best kept secret’, our rapid expansion and growth is making us more and more in demand.
Being supported by one of the largest public sector investments in UK manufacturing, we have locations in Ansty Park in Coventry, Liverpool and Oxford.
This role is for a Manufacturing Engineer with a strong focus on CNC machining. You will create, develop and validate manufacturing/inspection processes to support the MTC’s projects that are delivered across a broad range of technology areas and industrial sectors.
As a Manufacturing Engineer this role:
-
Drives improvements in Manufacturing Engineering processes, ensuring machining-related workflows, tooling strategies, digital methods and verification techniques are robust, efficient and aligned with stakeholder needs.
-
Delivers to customer and project needs largely independently, particularly where complex CNC machining, prove-out or first off development is involved. Managing expectations, risks and technical decisions to deliver high quality outputs within agreed budgets and timescales.
-
Supports the execution of the Manufacturing Engineering Strategy with specific input into CNC capability development, technology roadmap, and team skills alignment.
-
Works with design teams to execute effective design for manufacture/inspection, advising particularly on CNC manufacturability, fixture concepts, tolerancing, and machining strategy to meet project milestones.
-
Develops and validates CNC and broader manufacturing/inspection processes, working closely with engineering teams and external stakeholders to ensure repeatability, accuracy, safety and efficiency.
-
Creates high quality manufacturing documentation, including machining methods and sequences, work instructions, toolpath strategy notes, PFMEAs, inspection/control plans, setup sheets and technical reports.
-
Coordinates procurement of CNC tooling, fixturing, materials and gauges, ensuring all resources required for machining activities are available to schedule.
-
Owns and drives the resolution of manufacturing issues, particularly complex machining challenges, ensuring robust, sustainable solutions are implemented and customer requirements are met wherever possible.
-
Leads continuous improvement of manufacturing processes.
Communication
-
Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills are required for the role; able to demonstrate a high standard of report writing and presentation skills.
-
Able to support senior colleagues with customer and internal partner liaison in collaborative projects, able to lead technical liaison with customers (both technical and non-technical customers) during project to ensure delivery.
-
Strong commercial awareness and familiarity working within a project based environment.
-
Attend and provide manufacturing engineering inputs to project meetings – weekly mtg, workshops, assurance activities, design reviews.
-
Communicate and escalate manufacturing/assembly issues to the project teams/clients.
Innovation
- Support the ongoing development of MTCs manufacturing engineering capability through bringing best practice manufacturing engineering techniques into our operations.
-
Enable innovative designs to be realised through providing manufacturing advice, process development and validation.
Knowledge
-
In-depth CNC machining expertise in low volume, high variety, first off environments, including 5-axis machining of complex geometries and tight tolerance work with experience of machining exotic & challenging materials.
-
Machine tool knowledge: Experience specifying and integrating CNC machine tools into production cells (machine selection criteria, spindle spec, control options, probing, tool management, swarf/chip handling, coolant systems, work holding, mist extraction) and coordinating installation & commissioning with vendors.
- Competent in CAD/CAM (Siemens NX preferred). If the applicant has no experience with NX, they must be willing to learn and have experience in another CAD/CAM package.
-
Competent in toolpath verification / simulation using CGTech Vericut or similar.
-
Cutting science & tooling: Knowledge of tooling selection, chip load/engagement, tool life models, heat management, dynamic tool paths, and chatter mitigation.
-
Fixturing & work holding: Design principles for rigid, repeatable fixtures. Custom solutions for complex parts.
-
Metrology & verification: Practical application of GD&T, in-process measurement.
- Process development / prove out: Building a machining process from scratch. Material removal strategy, sequencing, datum strategy, in process control plans, first article signoff, and stabilisation to production ready state.
-
Manufacturing risk & quality: Creating and using DFx inputs, PFMEA, control plans, and traceability in regulated environments.
-
Customer & commercial awareness in a consultancy/project environment: scoping effort, shaping proposals, articulating technical risk, and defending estimates with clear assumptions.
Person Specification
The successful Manufacturing Engineer will embody MTC’s four values which include One Team Together, Pursuit of the Best, Insatiable Curiosity, and Enterprising Mindset, acting as a role model for others across the organisation.
Hands on, pragmatic problem solver: Brings practical experience and a shop floor credible approach; willing to physically participate in machining trials, prove outs, equipment commissioning, and technical problem resolution when required.
Technically authoritative yet approachable: Able to influence, coach and upskill Technicians, setting high technical standards while remaining open, supportive and grounded.
Self motivated and autonomous: A self-starter with the ability to work independently to meet deadlines, budgets and quality expectations, whilst also contributing effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
Ownership: Takes full responsibility for technical outcomes, especially in complex CNC machining environments where decisions have significant impact on cost, quality, and customer deliverables.
Calm under pressure: Able to manage ambiguity, technical risk, and challenging delivery timelines in first off, high complexity environments without compromising quality or safety.
Strong communicator: Comfortable engaging directly with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders, able to explain complex CNC/manufacturing topics clearly, and capable of building trust rapidly.
High integrity in secure environments: Experience working in contexts where adherence to process, governance, documentation and policy is critical to maintain customer confidentiality and operational security.
Once you submit your application, this will be passed on to our Talent Acquisition team for review. If you are successfully shortlisted, the next step will be a 2-stage interview process.
All employment offers will be subject to us obtaining satisfactory employment references. As part of your role, you will be required to undergo an appropriate level of clearance checks.
The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) was established in 2010 as an independent Research & Technology Organisation (RTO) with the objective of bridging the gap between academia and industry – often referred to as ‘the valley of death’.
It represents one of the largest public sector investments in UK manufacturing and, after four years of planning and a 16 month build, the facility opened at Ansty Park in Coventry at the end of 2011.
In December 2011, there were 16 industrial members, 44 staff and just a few key pieces of equipment in the ‘workshop’.
Over the following seven years the MTC’s rapid growth has seen the expansion of our campus with the construction of three more facilities, including the opening of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre and the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing.
Our role has also increased to cover not only R&D but also Training, Advanced Manufacturing Management and Factory Design.
We now have over 700 talented employees working with us.
During this time we have helped hundreds of companies across a range of industries and over 100 of them have become members of the MTC.
