Communication

• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills are required for the role; able to demonstrate a high standard of report writing and presentation skills.
• A desire to support colleagues development and transfer knowledge in area of expertise to others in the department, and also to wider MTC colleagues.
• 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

• Deep CNC machining expertise in low volume, high variety, first off environments, including 5axis machining of complex geometries and tight tolerance work with experience of machining exotic & tough materials.
• Competent in CAD/CAM – Siemens NX preferred, If the applicant has no experience with NX, they must be willing to learn and have solid capability in another professional CAD/CAM package.
• Cutting science & tooling:
  • Knowledge of tooling selection, chip load/engagement, tool life models, high-pressure coolant, heat management, dynamic tool pathing, and chatter mitigation.
  • Fixturing & work holding: Design principles for rigid, repeatable fixtures or custom solutions for complex parts.
  • Metrology & verification: Practical application of GD&T, in-process measurement
  • Process development / prove out: Building a machining process from zero—material removal strategy, sequencing, datum strategy, in process control plans, first article sign off, and stabilisation to production ready state.
  • Cell / equipment knowledge: Experience specifying and integrating CNC machining 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.
  • Manufacturing risk & quality: Creating and using DFM/DFA inputs, PFMEA, control plans, and traceability in regulated environments.
  • Leadership knowledge: Managing and upskilling MEs and machinists; coaching on best practice; setting technical standards; making go/nogo calls on manufacturability and readiness.
  • 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 Lead Manufacturing Engineer will embody MTC’s four values:

• 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 shopfloor 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 Manufacturing Engineers and machinists, 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.

About The MTC

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) is an internationally renowned and respected research and development organisation, bridging the gap between academia and manufacturing, and is home to some of the brightest minds in engineering from around the globe.

The MTC's engineers, scientists and technicians work with some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world in a supportive and collegiate environment for the development and demonstration of new technologies on an industrial scale, helping manufacturers of all sizes develop new and innovative processes and technologies.

Established to prove cutting edge manufacturing advances in an agile environment in partnership with industry, academia and other institutions, the MTC works with hundreds of industrial clients across a range of sectors including automotive, aerospace, rail, informatics, food and drink, infrastructure, construction and civil engineering, electronics, oil and gas and defence. The MTC helps businesses thrive by advancing their technological and engineering capabilities to improve their business efficiency, capability and competitiveness.

Supported by one of the largest public sector investments in UK Manufacturing, the MTC's engineering capabilities cover research and development, advanced manufacturing management, factory design and training for the skills of the future.

The MTC has world-class facilities in Coventry, Liverpool and Oxford, and is part of the UK's High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK.

Reference Checks and Security Checks (where applicable)

Due to the nature of our business, all employment is subject to satisfactory references being obtained alongside a level of security clearance checks.