Manufacturing Engineer in Kent

TPA Recruit is supporting an established engineering manufacturer in the appointment of an experienced Manufacturing Engineer on a contract basis. The position is focused on improving assembly processes, production flow, work instructions, tooling, routings and shop-floor performance. Develop and standardise build processes, digital work instructions and stage sign-off controls. Maintain and improve production routings in SAP, including component allocation and build-time validation. Use Lean manufacturing, Kaizen and 6S techniques to improve flow, line balance, productivity and waste reduction. Create and maintain shop-floor layouts using CAD and support process flow-line design and implementation. Design and implement jigs, fixtures, specialist tooling, shadow boards, racks and material-handling aids. Work with Quality and Inspection to build quality into processes and drive a no-fault-forward approach. Use A3/root-cause problem solving to investigate production issues and implement sustainable improvements. Develop KPI, target and visual-management information for shop-floor and management review. Evaluate engineering change requests and update routings and work instructions following approved changes. Create and review VSM and FMEA documentation and support wider manufacturing improvement projects. Previous experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering, Process Engineering or a closely related role within an engineering/manufacturing environment. Practical SAP experience is required, including maintaining or working with manufacturing data and routings. Good understanding of Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, waste reduction and structured problem solving. Experience using SolidWorks or AutoCAD to produce or amend technical drawings and factory/shop-floor layouts. Ability to create production routings, work instructions and process documentation. Experience with FMEA and Value Stream Mapping would be advantageous. Confident working with Production, Quality, Engineering, Purchasing and other cross-functional teams. Organised, accurate and able to communicate practical improvement ideas clearly at different levels. Immediate contract opportunity within an established UK engineering manufacturer. Hands-on remit with visible impact on production efficiency, quality and shop-floor performance. Broad exposure across manufacturing, quality, industrialisation and engineering teams. Opportunity to deliver practical Lean, tooling, routing and process-improvement projects. Competitive hourly rate of £35.00–£40.00 depending on experience. - Working pattern: Predominantly onsite, supporting manufacturing operations. TPBN1_UKTJ