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Salary: GBP 35,000 - 45,000 / annual
Mode Labs is developing autonomous opto-chemical sensing systems for remote environmental monitoring. As the first NPI (New Product Introduction) / Production Engineer, you will take ownership of manufacturing processes, tooling, documentation, and test activities as the company industrializes its first commercial sensor platform from prototype through pilot builds into repeatable, controlled production.
You will work closely with R&D and engineering colleagues across optical, mechanical, electronic, fluidic, and sensing-chemistry interfaces. This is a hands-on, varied role spanning product build and test, process development, tooling design, and manufacturing data management.
Key responsibilities include:
**NPI and Industrialisation:** Coordinate pilot and pre-production build activities, capturing issues and learning between iterations. Provide design-for-manufacture, design-for-assembly, and design-for-test input. Review designs, bills of materials, specifications, and production documentation to identify manufacturing issues and gaps.
**Manufacturing Process and Quality:** Develop, document, and release assembly, inspection, calibration, and end-of-line test processes. Design or specify tooling, jigs, fixtures, and test equipment for repeatable production. Establish process controls, acceptance criteria, traceability, and production records. Investigate build and test failures using structured root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
**Suppliers and Delivery:** Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners on process development, component quality, and manufacturing transfer. Support engineering change control and maintain safe, organized production environments with appropriate contamination controls. Support on-time delivery of high-quality products while contributing to a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
Success in the first 12 months means developing hands-on knowledge of assembly, calibration, and test processes; contributing to pilot and pre-production builds; producing clear work instructions and build records; delivering tooling and fixture improvements; implementing traceability and data collection; and using build data to drive measurable improvements in yield, repeatability, cycle time, or quality.
**Requirements:**
Essential Experience:
- Typically two or more years' relevant experience in manufacturing, production engineering, or build and test of complex technical products; equivalent apprenticeship or substantial practical experience considered.
- Hands-on experience assembling, testing, and troubleshooting complex technical products.
- Experience creating or improving manufacturing processes, work instructions, fixtures, or test methods.
- Experience defining and improving assembly, calibration, inspection, or test processes.
- Experience designing, specifying, or manufacturing tooling, jigs, fixtures, or test equipment.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and CAD data; familiarity with mechanical CAD tools such as SolidWorks or eDrawings.
- Ability to produce clear work instructions, test procedures, build records, and manufacturing reports.
- Ability to take responsibility for defined work packages, organize priorities, and communicate progress clearly.
- Ability to balance evolving design with the need to finalize production drawings for manufacture.
Desirable Experience:
- Exposure to NPI, pilot builds, or transfer of multidisciplinary hardware products into controlled production.
- Experience working with suppliers, subcontractors, or contract manufacturing partners.
- Familiarity with engineering change control, non-conformance management, or corrective-action processes.
- Optical systems, fluidic systems, sensor chemistry, or precision-instrument manufacture.
- Electronics or electro-mechanical assemblies, including wiring or soldering to recognized IPC or industry standards.
- Manufacturing quality tools such as PFMEA, control plans, measurement-system analysis, process capability, or design of experiments.
- Willingness to travel to visit sub-contractors and suppliers throughout UK and occasionally overseas.
Education: HND, degree, or apprenticeship in relevant engineering or scientific discipline, or equivalent practical industry experience.
Eligibility: Must be able to demonstrate right to work in the UK.
