Production & Process Engineer in Bristol

About Ponda

Ponda is a Bristol-based biomaterials company on a mission to regenerate the world's damaged wetlands. Our flagship product, BioPuff®, is a plant-based insulation made from Typha — a wetland crop grown on rewetted peatlands — offering the thermal performance of goose down without the environmental and ethical cost. We work with global brands including Berghaus, Stella McCartney, and Parley for the Oceans, and we're now scaling production to meet growing commercial demand. We're a team of around 15 people, recently backed by €5.6 million in combined funding, and we're building the manufacturing capability to match our ambition.

About the Role

This is a hands‑on engineering role at the heart of Ponda's scale‑up. You'll take ownership of the BioPuff® production line — keeping it running efficiently, improving it continuously, and helping shape what the next generation of that line looks like. Whether that means optimising what we have today, integrating new process technology, or working with the R&D team to bring a breakthrough from bench to floor, you'll be involved across the full arc of how we make BioPuff®. This isn't a role for someone who wants to stay behind a desk. You'll be on the floor, getting into the detail, and taking real ownership of how we manufacture one of the most exciting new materials in the textile industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Production & Process Ownership
  • Lead day‑to‑day operation of the BioPuff® production line, ensuring consistent output quality, yield, and efficiency.
  • Own process parameters, batch records, and production data — and use them to drive improvement.
  • Identify bottlenecks and implement practical solutions to increase throughput and reduce waste.
  • Manage cleaning, calibration, and planned maintenance schedules across mechanical and pneumatic systems.
• Engineering Development
  • Translate R&D outputs and technical advances into production line improvements and upgrades.
  • Design, fabricate, and install new equipment, tooling, or process modifications as needed.
  • Work with the wider technical team to develop and validate new process steps or material handling approaches.
  • Use CAD (Fusion 360 or similar) to support equipment design and documentation.
• Textile & Materials Processing
  • Apply knowledge of fibre processing, nonwoven or fill‑material production to optimise how BioPuff® is handled, processed, and packed.
  • Support testing and qualification of new material batches or process variants.
  • Maintain material tracking, batch coding, and quality records throughout processing.
• Health, Safety & Environment
  • Maintain a safe, organised, and audit‑ready workshop environment.
  • Write and maintain SOPs, risk assessments, and maintenance logs.
  • Champion Ponda's environmental values and a culture of continuous improvement.

Who You Are

• A practical, creative engineer who gets things done — you're as comfortable with a spanner as you are with a CAD model.
• Experienced in production or process engineering, ideally in textiles, nonwovens, biomaterials, or a related manufacturing environment.
• Comfortable working at the intersection of R&D and production — you understand how to close that gap.
• Proactive and self‑directed, with the confidence to take ownership and the humility to ask questions.
• Excited by the challenge of scaling something genuinely new.

Qualifications

• Degree in mechanical, production, textile, or materials engineering (or equivalent experience).
• 2+ years of relevant engineering experience, with direct exposure to production environments.
• Experience with mechanical fabrication, pneumatic systems, and hands‑on equipment modification.
• Textile or fibre processing experience is a strong advantage.
• CAD proficiency (Fusion 360 preferred).
• Familiarity with SOP writing, process documentation, and basic data analysis.

What We Offer

• A central role in scaling one of the most compelling new materials in sustainable fashion.
• Real ownership and influence over how we manufacture BioPuff® at commercial scale.
• A collaborative, mission‑driven team working on something that genuinely matters.
• Room to grow as the company scales.
• Birthday day off.