At a Glance
- Tasks: Bridge R&D and production to scale sustainable packaging and eliminate plastic waste.
- Company: Join Shellworks, a mission-driven startup revolutionising materials with compostable solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and hands-on lab access for innovation.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with opportunities for growth and global collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in sustainability while working on cutting-edge materials.
- Qualifications: Degree in Materials Science or Mechanical Engineering with relevant manufacturing experience.
The predicted salary is between 35000 - 50000 £ per year.
Shellworks is a Series A sustainable materials startup of 35 people in London replacing single‑use plastic with Vivomer, a compostable bio‑based material. Backed by top‑tier investors, they are scaling manufacturing across the UK, EU, and US to create a new generation of high‑performing materials designed to disappear.
As a Product Manufacturing Engineer, you will bridge the gap between R&D and production to scale sustainable packaging. Working in a small, high‑impact team, you'll take products from prototype through validation to volume manufacturing, ensuring quality and performance while collaborating with international manufacturing partners to eliminate plastic waste globally.
Location: London, UK
Why this role is remarkable:
- Join a mission‑driven Series A company scaling a proprietary, nature‑inspired material (Vivomer) that naturally breaks down to replace harmful single‑use plastics.
- Gain high‑impact ownership in a small team of three, managing the critical transition from R&D prototypes to global mass production across the UK, EU, and US.
- Access a fully equipped on‑site lab and pilot line workshop in London, offering a unique hands‑on environment for technical innovation and material experimentation.
What You Will Do:
- Own the end‑to‑end product validation process, taking packaging designs from initial prototypes to high‑volume manufacturing via injection moulding and extrusion.
- Manage technical relationships with outsourced manufacturing partners to ensure production meets strict cost, quality, and timeline expectations for global scaling.
- Implement robust quality measures and engineering change controls to streamline the development cycle across molecular biology, design, and operations teams.
The ideal candidate:
- Holds a degree in Materials Science or Mechanical Engineering with 2‑4 years of experience in an industrial manufacturing or physical product development environment.
- Demonstrates deep technical proficiency in polymer processing technologies, specifically injection moulding, blow moulding, compounding, or extrusion for plastic packaging.
- Proficient in CAD software (Onshape or SolidWorks) and experienced in scaling products from prototype to high‑volume FMCG production with a proactive, startup‑ready mindset.
