Senior NPI Engineer (Glasgow)

A leading provider of innovative laser systems to help people in various global markets, including but not limited to renewables, microelectronics, research, life science, automotive, and medicine. We seek an experienced NPI Engineer who will work alongside the mechanical and optical development team to ensure design for manufacturing remains a key focus during the development cycle of our laser systems.

Through Prototype and Pilot production, the role will provide DFX feedback, aid the design team in resolving issues and supply documentation, tooling and training to allow the product to be built in a clean manufacturing environment. You will ensure product compliance with specifications and test products through HALT/HASS to identify weaknesses and drive changes. With a focus on manufacturability, you will help contribute to the development of new processes and capabilities and assist with the adoption of automation and new technologies to ensure repeatability and reliability in the laser build process.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• A hands-on approach to work is key, with direct engagement with the manufacturing team to understand and resolve issues on the line.
• Lab-based work to test and define processes and optimise designs, such as full system environmental testing, component improvement, and material selection and testing (e.g. adhesives, desiccant etc.) to identify weakness and drive improvements.
• Building prototype and pilot laser systems.
• Defining, testing, and implementing production tooling.
• Ownership of the transfer of new laser products from design engineering into manufacturing, ensuring build documentation, bill of materials, tooling and training are present and valid.
• Monitoring Prototype and Pilot production, ensuring yields and cycle times are within expectation, and identifying improvement opportunities where they are not.
• Influencing designs and design engineers to ensure Lean / Six-Sigma principles are considered.
• Leading the design FMEA of modules to ensure the right first-time designs.
• Interfacing with Operations team (all aspects including planning, quality, manufacturing etc.) to ensure the smooth transition of products from development to production.
• Interfacing with subcontractors and suppliers.
• Liaising with field service to gather customer validation data.
• Helping to maintain the lab and the standards of the lab space.
• Defining GUIs and automation routines to facilitate manufacturing flow.
• Creation of the whole laser system and sub-system build documentation.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally including the transfer from design engineering into manufacturing in a high-tech environment.
• Degree in science, technology or engineering, or equivalent industrial experience.
• A passion for solving problems and continuous improvement with an enthusiasm to drive positive change.
• Willingness to take responsibility for improvement actions.
• Initiative to seek innovative solutions to problems.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to learn quickly – it is expected that you will be a hands-on person and will be expected to learn quickly the fundamentals of lasers and how to build and operate them.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Knowledge of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process and elements of project planning.
• Experience of using PLM software (e.g., Agile or similar).
• Cleanroom experience.
• Knowledge of lasers, optics, electronics, and opto-mechanics.
• Experience in optical fibre handling.
• Experience with LabVIEW, Python, C#, or other object-oriented programming languages.
• Experience with Solidworks or another CAD package.
• An understanding of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
• A background in material science to be able to guide material selections and have insight into the correct epoxy use for a variety of applications.