Manufacturing Engineer in Poole

IMI plc is a global specialist engineering company that creates breakthrough solutions. We are curious and like to solve problems, partnering with our customers to solve the demands of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. We embrace innovation and care about outcomes that are good for business, everyday life and making a better world – creating lasting impact for everyone. We design, build and service highly engineered products in fluid and motion control applications. We focus on five market sectors: Industrial Automation, Process Automation, Climate Control, Life Science and Fluid Control, and Transport.

Role Overview

Reporting to an Engineering Team Leader or Engineering Manager, the Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for independently developing, proving and improving manufacturing processes, methods and capabilities to support new and existing products throughout their lifecycle. The role sits within the Engineering function and works closely with Design Engineering, R&D, Production Engineering, Quality, Projects and Manufacturing teams to ensure products are industrialised efficiently, safely and cost‑effectively. The Manufacturing Development Engineer operates with autonomy within defined scope, owning manufacturing development tasks and contributing technical expertise while escalation and final approvals remain with senior or Lead Engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently develop, define and optimise manufacturing processes, methods and workflows to support new and existing products.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, ensuring manufacturing capability, tooling, processes and documentation are fully defined and validated prior to handover to production.
• Work collaboratively with Design Engineers to influence product designs for manufacturability, assembly and test (DFM/DFA).
• Design, specify and support the development of manufacturing tooling, fixtures, jigs, assembly test rigs and assembly aids where required using traditional and modern manufacturing techniques.
• Ensure ergonomic design is considered at all times.
• Use the ERP/MRP system to add and maintain data owned by production engineering including part numbers, routes, bills of material, work centres and batch sizes.
• Conduct manufacturing feasibility studies, risk assessments and PFMEAs, identifying and mitigating risks and escalating where appropriate.
• Lead or support process development trials, pilot builds and pre‑production runs to validate manufacturing readiness.
• Analyse production data, process capability and performance metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives using Lean principles such as 5S, Kaizen, SMED and error‑proofing.
• Develop and maintain manufacturing documentation including routes, SOPs, work instructions and training materials in line with internal standards.
• Support welding activities, welding procedure specifications and procedure qualification records.
• Liaise with Quality Engineering to define inspection points, measurement methods and validation requirements.
• Support the introduction of new equipment, machinery and technologies through specification, supplier liaison and commissioning activities.
• Provide technical support to Manufacturing and Operations teams during initial production and ongoing process optimisation.
• Work within established engineering standards, procedures and governance frameworks, escalating technical or safety concerns as required.
• Perform other such duties commensurate with the nature and level of the post as may be reasonably required.
• Ensure compliance with Health, Safety, Environmental and Fire Safety (SHEF) policies and safe systems of work at all times.

Critical Competencies for Success

• Engineering Degree (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Production or related discipline) or equivalent qualification and experience.
• Proven experience working within a manufacturing or industrial engineering environment.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, assembly methods and production systems.
• Experience supporting industrialisation, NPI or process development activities.
• Working knowledge of tooling, fixtures, process capability and manufacturing risk assessment techniques.
• Working knowledge of first principle Engineering calculations, and typical Engineering materials, including 3D printing and additive manufacture.
• PC Literate, Autodesk, PLM, and Microsoft Office software.
• Understanding of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications and design intent.
• Strong analytical and structured problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• High attention to detail and a methodical, disciplined approach to engineering tasks.

Desirable Competencies for Success

• Knowledge of high pressure valves for Nuclear, Oil and Gas or Space and related certification, customer practices and regulations.
• Knowledge of electrical engineering, automation and solenoid design.

IMI is an inclusive employer; diversity is very important to us, and we want to receive applications from people from all backgrounds.