Engineering Manager

The Engineering Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the engineering design office and the manufacturing engineering team. This role ensures the smooth integration between design and production processes, ensuring high standards of quality, innovation, and efficiency. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in automotive or motorsport engineering, with hands-on experience managing design, manufacturing, and production processes.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Leadership & Management:

•Lead, mentor, and manage a multidisciplinary team of engineers, including design engineers, production engineers, and technical staff.

•Coordinate with project managers to ensure project timelines and deliverables are met.

•Drive a culture of continuous improvement, quality, and collaboration across the production and engineering departments.

•Develop training and career development plans for the engineering team to ensure skills are kept current and relevant to business needs.

2. Production Engineering:

•Oversee the design-for-manufacture (DFM) process to ensure designs are optimised for production efficiency and quality.

•Work closely with production teams to troubleshoot any technical or process issues during manufacturing.

•Collaborate with suppliers and external partners to optimise the sourcing of materials and components for production.

3. Design & Development:

•Manage the design and manufacturing engineering office to deliver innovative, high-quality transmission systems and related components in line with Hewland’s specifications and customer requirements.

•Oversee product development from initial concept through to final production, ensuring designs meet regulatory and safety standards.

•Work closely with the R&D team to identify areas for product enhancement and new technologies.

4. Process Improvement & Optimisation:

•Implement and manage process improvement initiatives aimed at reducing costs, improving quality, and shortening production times.

•Evaluate and upgrade production machinery and tooling as required to support new product development along with operations and senior managment

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

•Act as a liaison between the design office and the production engineering to ensure that production requirements and constraints are considered during the design phase.

•Collaborate with procurement, quality assurance, and logistics teams to ensure seamless production workflow.

•Work closely with customers and stakeholders to manage product development timelines and address any design changes or improvements.

6. Budgeting & Resource Allocation:

•Manage department budgets and ensure efficient use of resources to meet financial goals.

•Allocate resources effectively, balancing production demands with ongoing development and R&D projects.

•Ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations within the production and engineering departments.

7. Quality Control & Compliance:

•Ensure all designs and production processes comply with industry standards and internal quality control policies.

•Oversee the integration of quality control processes within production and design workflows, aiming for zero-defect manufacturing.

Qualifications:

•Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

o 8-10 years of experience in production or mechanical engineering roles, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or management capacity.

o Previous experience in the automotive or motorsport sector is highly desirable.

o Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary teams in an engineering environment.

o Strong knowledge of design-for-manufacture (DFM) principles and production processes.

oExperience with CAD software (Ideally Creo Parametric) and PLM tools (ideally Windchill).

Skills:

o Strong leadership and interpersonal skills.

o Project management experience and familiarity with tools like Microsoft Project

o Knowledge of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other process improvement methodologies.

o Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.

o Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

o Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Key Competencies:

•Technical Expertise: In-depth knowledge of automotive, motorsport or aerospace engineering principles, particularly relating to high-performance transmission systems.

•Manufacturing Knowledge: Deep understanding of low-volume, high-precision manufacturing, especially in relation to machining processes like CNC, milling, turning and ideally gear manufacture

•Leadership: Ability to lead, inspire, and develop a technical team, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.

•Project Management: Strong project management skills with a proven ability to manage multiple, complex engineering projects.

•Innovation: An ability to encourage creative problem-solving and new approaches to design and production challenges.

•Attention to Detail: Ensuring precision and quality in both design and production outputs.