The Opportunity
We are looking for an enthusiastic and adaptable Production Engineer to support the transition of new products into production, while ensuring the ongoing delivery of high-quality products for our international customers.
This role will focus on the later stages of New Product Introduction (NPI), primarily from sample builds through to production ramp-up and release. The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring products are robust, repeatable, and ready for production.
Following successful introduction, the role will transition into a Production Engineering position with ownership of those product lines as the Subject Matter Expert (SME), supporting ongoing production, continuous improvement, and quality performance.
Security Vetting Information
OpenWorks Engineering operates within the defence sector. As part of our recruitment and onboarding processes, we collect information that may be required to support future security vetting and clearance requirements, should these become necessary during employment.
Who We Are
OpenWorks is a rapidly growing business operating globally with a passion for exceptional engineering and building on a legacy of defence innovation in the North East of England.
Our products provide ultra-high performance, real-time detection, tracking, identification and targeting of dynamic aerial threats. They have been deployed internationally to protect high profile military and civilian assets, and contribute towards the defeat of nuisance, misguided and maliciously deployed drones during operations.
We are very proud to have supported a wide range of law enforcement and military operators, protecting many of the most high profile sites and individuals around the world.
The amazing things we do are only possible because of a dedicated and passionate team.
Why You’ll Love Working With Us
Join a high-energy, collaborative team where great ideas thrive, challenges are embraced, and people genuinely love what they do.
Here’s what our benefits have to offer:
Rewarding Success - Competitive salary and bonus package, with performance bonuses of up to 25% and clear opportunities for career progression.
Enhanced Pension – Up to 8% employer-matched contributions to help you plan for the future.
More Time to Recharge – 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, long-service rewards, and the option to buy up to 5 extra days.
Breakfast & Lunch on Us – Enjoy team breakfasts and freshly prepared lunches every day courtesy of Chef Mark and his team.
Health & Wellbeing – Private healthcare and life assurance for added peace of mind.
Sustainable Travel – Salary sacrifice schemes, including EV car and Cycle to Work options.
Team Socials – Regular events, from quiz nights and football to board games and more.
Learning & Growth – A culture that empowers you to challenge, grow and make an impact, plus a £250 annual learning budget to invest in the development that matters most to you.
What you’ll be doing:
- Support the transition of new products into production, from sample builds through to volume manufacture
- Lead and support sample builds, pilot builds and early production runs, ensuring issues are captured, tracked and resolved
- Develop, refine and release production-ready build documentation, processes and test procedures
- Identify build, test and process issues during NPI and implement practical solutions to ensure production readiness
- Provide feedback to design teams on manufacturability and ease of assembly (no design ownership)
- Define and implement in-line validation and test activities for new assemblies
- Ensure products meet quality, repeatability and throughput requirements prior to production release
Production Engineering & Sustaining (Post-Release Ownership)
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Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for assigned product lines
- Provide hands-on support to production technicians during build, test and fault-finding activities
- Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, yield and quality
- Investigate production yield, scrap and rework trends and implement corrective actions
- Solve production issues using structured root-cause analysis methodologies (e.g. 5-Why, A3, 8D)
- Support the creation and maintenance of build instructions, processes and standards of work
- Design and develop jigs, fixtures and tooling to support build and test activities
- Support the specification, commissioning and optimisation of production and FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) equipment
- Drive continuous improvement of manufacturing processes to support stable and efficient production
What we’re looking for:
- Strongly process and quality driven, with a focus on repeatability and robustness
- Experienced in production environments and hands-on product builds
- Comfortable working in fast-paced, evolving NPI environments at the production readiness stage
- A proactive problem solver with a structured and analytical approach
- Highly detail-oriented with strong organisational skills
- A confident communicator, able to work effectively with production, quality and design teams
- Highly computer literate
Skills & Experience
We are open to candidates with a mix of Mechanical and Electrical and experience.
Mechanical (Desirable)
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Understanding of materials, coatings and manufacturing processes
- Knowledge of assembly methods: fasteners, torquing, adhesives and bonding
- Good understanding of GD&T
- Experience using Autodesk Inventor or similar CAD packages
- Experience with structured problem-solving methodologies (5-Why, A3, 8D)
Electrical (Desirable)
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Ability to read and interpret electronic circuit diagrams
- Strong understanding of PCBAs and electronic components
- Experience working to IPC standards
- Experience using electronic test equipment (e.g. multimeter, oscilloscope)
- Knowledge of communication protocols (e.g. RS232, RS422, CAN)
Other Desirable Attributes:
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A relevant Engineering qualification - Level 5 or above.
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Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or above
- Project Management qualification/ experience
More about us:
Vision
Help protect the territory and airspace of NATO countries and their allies.
Mission
Be a world-leading provider of autonomous technology for Surveillance applications and Defence
Values
Be a Good Egg: Earn respect, have mutual trust and be honest
Do cool stuff: We develop cool tech with an awesome team, and we get stuff done
Be empowered: We are autonomous, reliable and take personal responsibility
We are one team: Look out for each other and the team
Things go wrong: Fail fast, learn and move on
Have fun: We’re doing amazing things with passionate people
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK, as we are not able to provide visa sponsorship.
