Process Engineer Role in North East

Overview

The Process Engineer will aid the supporting function in all Production areas of process and quality, including goods in and despatch. Leveraging your expertise in robotics, programming, and control systems, you will play a key role in continuous improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, reliability, and future capability across our manufacturing operations. This role will report directly to the Process Engineering Manager, while working closely with the Production Section Leaders and QA Engineering team.

Key Responsibilities

• Health and Safety
  • Ensure that health, safety and environmental legislative standards are adhered to across all areas of the production environment.
  • Responsible for ensuring that all safety requirements are clearly stated in the relevant Production SOPs.
• Process Improvement & Automation
  • Leverage a strong working knowledge of PLC and HMI programming, robotics, vision systems, sensors, drives, motors, pneumatics, and other electro-mechanical systems to actively support and advance automation initiatives.
  • Constant review and improvement to ensure effective and efficient process re-engineering, training, piece-part flow etc. Recommend, innovate and implement revised methods and processes to ensure labour costs are in line with the Business objectives.
  • Design, develop, and implement custom automation solutions that meet customer requirements, align with project budgets, and enable efficient, scalable manufacturing operations.
  • Program, diagnose, and support machine control systems for new and existing equipment to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation.
  • Analyse manufacturing processes to identify opportunities for automation and process improvement.
• SOPs
  • Take ownership and lead for the creation and management of all product and process SOPs. Ensuring control and adherence within the manufacturing environment (Cross functional sign off).
  • Promote a culture which ensures discipline of standards and expectations are followed and met at all times.
  • Roll out training programmes for all new processes introduced.
  • Ensure all manufacturing activities to be covered by an SOP and objective assessment located on SharePoint.
• New Product Introduction
  • Take a lead role to ensure the team actively progress all NPI’s relative to their responsible product areas. Ensure project plan updates are effectively communicated.
  • Preparation of production area(s) to ensure timely/effective product introductions.
  • Validating requirements for jigs and fixtures as required and ensuring a detailed capital expenditure justification is produced.
  • Ensuring that full buy off has been conducted with documented evidence of this. (FAT / SAT documents)
• Inter-departmental Interface
  • Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and collaborate with cross-functional teams including production, maintenance, and IT to integrate automation technologies such as robotics, PLCs, and machine vision systems.
• Process change management
  • Ensure all changes made to process’s are captured via the management of change system.
  • Full stakeholders sign off and review is used when conducting any process change.
• NRFT Investigation
  • Support quality department in the interrogation of NRFT KPI’s and implement actions to remedy for each of the key production areas. Actions should show a clear reduction in the NRFT figure month on month.

Candidate Requirements

To succeed, you will need to demonstrate relevant experience and capabilities. We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. We value diverse experiences and perspectives and are excited to see what you bring to the role.

Person Specification

• 3 - 5 years’ experience in an industrial manufacturing role
• Hands-on experience in designing, developing, and implementing automated solutions in a manufacturing setting, including robotics, PLCs, HMIs, and machine vision systems.
• Working knowledge of FMEA, 8D, Ishikawa diagrams, 5-why, and SPC.
• Experience of transforming manual processes to automated and from batch to single piece flow.

Professional Requirements

• Degree Educated in a relevant field or relevant experience with equivalent qualifications (HND / HNC)
• Hands-on Six Sigma experience, Green Belt qualification is highly desirable.

Competencies

• Ability to work on own initiative with a pro-active strategic approach to challenges
• Attention to detail
• Confident commercial awareness and clear business acumen
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Effective team player
• Highly motivated and able to build close relationships internally and externally to achieve an end goal

Benefits

• Free on site Parking
• Company Pension
• Flexible working
• Death in Service
• Employee Assistance Programme including trained Mental Health First Aiders and on demand GP service
• Employee Mortgages Services
• Eye test vouchers and annual flu jab
• Onsite gym for £4 per month
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Will writing Service
• Long service awards
• Walker Thrive Benefit Platform that includes store discounts
• Enhanced support for maternity and paternity leave
• Christmas Savings Club
• Opportunity for professional growth and development

Location

Washington, Tyne and Wear, UK – On-Site. This role requires you to work on-site at our office in Washington, Tyne and Wear UK, United Kingdom (GB). You will be part of a dynamic team and enjoy the benefits of face-to-face collaboration.

Contact

Talent Acquisition Team: HR@walkerfiltration.com

Walker Filtration employs over 300 employees across the globe, serving over 100 countries from our Headquarters in the North East of England, along with competence centres in Australia, the United States and Japan. We recruit talented, ambitious and driven individuals to be part of Walker Filtration’s growth plans. We firmly believe that people are our greatest asset, and our employees are given the opportunity to progress their own careers and help drive the business forward.