Senior Manufacturing Engineer
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
Ampthill, Bedfordshire
Permanent, 37.5h, 4 day working week Monday to Thursday
Salary:£45,000-£55,000
Are you passionate about driving innovation and excellence in manufacturing? Our Operations Engineering team is at the forefront of supporting operational performance and delivering major product development projects, from concept design to production and beyond. We provide full lifecycle engineering support, including prototype development, integration of build documentation and production support until the end of product life.
We are looking for proven Engineer, with a background in Machining (CNC) or additive manufacture (WAAM).
This exciting opportunity is based from our in Ampthill, Bedfordshire and benefits from a 4 Day Working Week (Mon - Thu).
As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will play a crucial role throughout the product lifecycle, focusing on reducing manufacturing lead times while maintaining quality requirements. Your contributions will have a direct impact on customer satisfaction while ensuring the timely delivery of project milestones.
As the go-to expert in your field, you will provide engineering insights, solve complex challenges, and coordinate activities to support current and future business goals. You'll also be a key driver of our commitment to "right-first-time" quality standards, enhancing both operational efficiency and the company's reputation.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop manufacturing processes.
- Defining sequence of operations, procedures and production layouts for assemblies, equipment installation, processing and material handling taking into account flow and lean philosophies.
- Providing Basis of Estimates for engineering activities and shop floor operations across a range of technologies and disciplines.
- Identifying any new tooling & fixturing requirements.
- Experienced in the creation of Technical Requirement Specifications.
- Creation of detailed process instructions.
- Creation of Manufacturing BOM's / routings to aid ease of manufacture.
- Active involvement in the Level 1 & 2 MDWT (Mission Directed Work Team) meetings.
- Support and contribute the relevant section of the Technology Roadmap to identify improvements to current manufacturing processes and future requirements.
- Assist with the Technical requirements of the relevant section of the Capital plan from definition to acceptance.
- Supporting full rate production of a range of products aligned to the LMUK Ampthill Business requirements.
- Close liaison of activities with Industrial Engineering, Production Engineering and other functions as necessary.
- Support with the business process reviews and generation / update of relevant documentation
Required skills, qualifications and experience:
- Good working knowledge of CNC Machining, turning and Milling up to 5 axis with Cam software experience or working knowledge of WAAM / Additive Manufacturing.
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and quality improvement tools.
- Experience with CAD software for generating 2D technical drawings.
- Solid understanding of MRP systems and experience managing BOMs and routings in SAP (or similar ERP systems).
- Hyper Mill Cam experience would be a advantage.
- Proven ability to drive cultural and process change, improving efficiency and quality.
- A collaborative mindset with a passion for continuous improvement.
Lockheed Martin is committed to upholding principles of equal opportunity, fostering a work environment that is aligned with our core values of integrity, respect, and exceptional performance. We recognize the importance of leveraging the unique talents and experiences of all our employees to drive innovation, deliver superior solutions, and maximize value for our customers. Our focus is on identifying the most qualified candidate for each role, regardless of their background. If you are interested in a position, we invite you to share how your skills and perspectives could bolster our team and encourage you to apply, even if you feel your qualifications do not fully meet all the job criteria outlined in our advertisement. Furthermore, Lockheed Martin is dedicated to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive for all individuals. We are prepared to accommodate reasonable adjustments for applicants as needed. If you require assistance or adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact or call
Disclaimer:
This vacancy is being advertised by Optamor Limited. Optamor is a specialist Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider. We provide a flexible full recruitment solution which takes care of all recruitment requirements from planning to on-boarding. Our specialist recruitment divisions cover the entire technical arena, including some of the most economically and strategically important industries in the UK and the world today. We will never send your CV without your permission.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your CV with a headline citing both CNC Machining and WAAM/Additive Manufacturing, as the advert lists these as the two core technical backgrounds sought.
📊 Quantify your process improvements: e.g. 'Reduced CNC cycle time by 22% through revised 5-axis toolpaths, saving 3 hours per batch run'.
🎯 Include a dedicated 'Key Skills' section referencing Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma explicitly — the advert calls these out as required knowledge areas.
🌐 Highlight any experience with Manufacturing BOMs, routings, or process instructions in a bullet per role, as these are listed as direct responsibilities in the advert.
🤝 Mention cross-functional liaison experience (e.g. with Industrial Engineering or Production Engineering teams) to mirror the advert's emphasis on coordinating across departments.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Developed 5-axis CNC milling processes for 4 new defence component families, reducing average machining cycle time by 18% and cutting scrap rate from 6% to 1.5% within 12 months.
- •Authored 30+ detailed process instructions and Manufacturing BOMs for a WAAM additive manufacturing cell, enabling first-article acceptance within 3 prototype iterations.
- •Led a Lean Manufacturing kaizen event across a 12-person production team, eliminating 4 non-value-added steps and reducing manufacturing lead time by 25% over 8 weeks.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Optamor
Dear Hiring Manager,
Optamor's Senior Manufacturing Engineer position in Ampthill is precisely aligned with the work I have been doing in CNC machining and additive manufacturing over the past several years. The emphasis on full lifecycle engineering support — from prototype development through to production — and the application of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to reduce lead times reflects the kind of structured, quality-driven environment where I do my best work.
My background in 5-axis CNC milling and turning, supported by hands-on CAM software experience, has enabled me to develop detailed process instructions and Manufacturing BOMs that consistently meet right-first-time quality standards. I have collaborated closely with Industrial Engineering and Production Engineering teams to deliver process improvements, contributed to Technology Roadmap planning, and provided Basis of Estimates across a range of manufacturing disciplines.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk us through how you would develop a manufacturing process for a new CNC-machined component from concept to production.
- ›How have you applied CAM software to optimise a 5-axis milling operation, and what measurable outcome did it achieve?
- ›Describe your experience with WAAM or additive manufacturing — what materials and applications have you worked with?
- ›How do you create a Basis of Estimate for a new manufacturing activity, and what factors do you consider?
- ›Explain how you have used Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma tools to reduce lead times on a production line.
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you identified a quality issue on the shop floor and drove a 'right-first-time' resolution.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to coordinate engineering activities across multiple functions to meet a project milestone.
- ›Give an example of when you contributed to a Technology Roadmap and how your input influenced future manufacturing strategy.
- ›Tell me about a complex manufacturing challenge you solved as the go-to technical expert in your team.
- ›Describe a time you supported a capital plan project from definition through to acceptance — what was your role and what was the outcome?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you identified a quality issue on the shop floor and drove a 'right-first-time' resolution.
Describe a situation where you had to coordinate engineering activities across multiple functions to meet a project milestone.