Trainee Technical Textile Technologist at A W Hainsworth
Salary: £28,000 - £31,000 per annum
About us
AW Hainsworth is a heritage woollen textile manufacturer based in Yorkshire that has been in business since 1783. Our fabrics have been at the centre at every major national event over the last 240 years, from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 to the funeral of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. Despite our rich heritage, we’re not stuck in the past. Today the company has seven divisions covering a broad range of different markets.
Although you may not have heard of us you will almost certainly know our fabrics. They can be found in the cabins of many of the world’s premium airlines and on the catwalks of some of the best-known fashion brands. They can be found in Royal Palaces, boutique hotels and in the Houses of Parliament. They can even be found inside pianos, as well as covering many snooker and pool tables. Our fabrics also feature routinely on television, in film and in theatre productions.
Our high-performance protective fabrics are worn by most UK firefighters and UK police, as well as by many firefighters outside of the UK. Meanwhile our ceremonial fabrics are worn by militaries worldwide, perhaps most famously by the Household Regiments. If you have seen the guardsmen in their scarlet tunics during the ‘Trouping the Colour’ or ‘Changing of the Guards’ ceremonies, or during state events, then you will have seen our fabrics. This scarlet fabric is made exclusively by AW Hainsworth in our Yorkshire textile mill.
We believe that we are a great employer to work for. But don’t just take our word for it. We won Employer of the Year award during the Leeds Manufacturing Festival. This was awarded in recognition of our commitment to staff training and workforce development.
The Role
We are seeking a Trainee Technical Textile Technologist to join us as part of our Innovation Group. It’s a highly varied role that covers a broad range of different tasks and responsibilities:
· Working with other business functions to solve technical issues relating to our products and processes
· Dealing with customer enquiries concerning product performance and use
· Setting technical specifications
· Identifying emerging opportunities for Innovation/New Product Development/R&D
· Autonomously leading technical projects
· Supporting the sales and marketing team with technical expertise
· Staying up to date with market developments
The working hours are Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week. The salary and bonus package is competitive and will depend upon the relevant skills, knowledge and experience that you can bring to the role.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who is passionate about textiles and is keen to work within the UK textile industry. This could be a recent textile graduate or someone who will graduate in textiles within the coming months. The successful candidate will be keen to learn about textile manufacturing and must be proactive in terms of their personal development.
We will provide on the job training for the successful candidate to grow them into becoming a knowledge expert. To be considered for this role all applicants must have the required skills and knowledge listed below.
Required Skills and Knowledge:
· Basic knowledge of textile manufacturing and associated processes
· Basic knowledge relating to fibres, yarns and textile structures
· Basic knowledge of textile testing
In addition to the above, having experience in any of the following areas would be seen as advantageous. Candidates having such experience should highlight it in their cover letter.
Desirable Experience:
· Woollen textile manufacturing and associated processes (e.g. blending, carding, spinning, weaving, milling, dyeing etc…)
· Fabric finishes and their associated chemistries (e.g. FR, repellency etc…)
· Understanding the relationship between fibre/yarn properties, weave structure and functional performance at fabric level
· Product performance and use relating to our key markets (e.g. protective textiles, aviation/rail textiles, snooker and pool table coverings, fashion etc…)
· Textile standards (e.g. EN/ISO standards)
· Leading New Product Development, Research & Development and Innovation projects in a textile manufacturing environment
· Sustainability in the textile industry
Benefits of Working at AW Hainsworth
· Competitive holiday allowance
· Performance related bonus
· Simply Health cash plan, includes dental, optical and physio etc…
· Life assurance
· Employee assistant programme
· Wider Wallet scheme
· Salary sacrifice benefits – e.g. payment with Metro Cards
· Matched pension scheme
· Internal blanket sales
· Commitment to training & development and investing
· Cash and Carry memberships
Health and Wellbeing Benefits
· Onsite mental health counselling and wellbeing support
· Free fruit (delivered weekly)
· Onsite vending machines
· Employee engagement calendar (e.g. food events)
· Employee Forum
· Annual flu jabs
If this role interests you, please send your CV, accompanied by a cover letter to [email protected]. The cover letter should explain why you would like to work at A W Hainsworth and how your skills, knowledge and experience would be a benefit to our business.
Pay: £28,000.00-£31,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
