Job Description Summary
Make sure the tooling is ready for the future of flight
At Dowty, a GE Aerospace company, we design, manufacture, repair and overhaul propeller systems for Military and Civil applications from our state-of-the-art facility in Gloucestershire, UK. Our propeller expertise is helping inform the development of Open Fan technology through the CFM RISE program.
As a Manufacturing Engineer – Tooling, you will join our Manufacturing Engineering team on an 18-month fixed-term contract with a clear goal: making sure the tooling for our next design iteration is defined, delivered, proven and ready to use. You will own a long list of tooling items from first request to shop floor, and help turn design intent into tooling that makes robust, repeatable production possible.
You will work closely with design, sourcing, quality, health and safety, our internal 3D printing capability and the shop floor, and report into an experienced lead engineer who will help you get up to speed. Curiosity, an organised and hands-on approach and a structured way of solving problems matter as much as the technical detail. The focus of your work will be shaped around your experience and the needs of the team, so we are looking for someone who enjoys learning and is comfortable with variety.
Job Description
What you’ll do
Define what we need. You will turn manufacturing requirements into clear Statements of Work (SoW), Tool Design Specifications (TDS) and Tooling and Equipment (T&E) lists for all work streams, and guide the tooling design team through each design iteration.
Run the tooling list like a project. You will own the plan, priorities and status of every item from request to commissioning, chasing actions and flagging risks early so that tools arrive when the build needs them.
Govern sourcing. You will give technical input and prioritisation to the sourcing team for RFQs, help select suitable suppliers, and make sure tooling is sourced consistently, to the right standard and with quality and delivery managed.
Keep control of cost. You will track the cost of each tooling item and keep it up to date, understanding what is capital expenditure and what is not.
Make the most of in-house 3D printing. You will plan which tools can be printed internally based on need and priority within our print schedule, and help coordinate, and where suitable carry out, their production.
Prove it and get it into use. You will approve tooling drawings with SME and Health and Safety input, take an active part in trials to prove tooling, and provide technical input through installation and commissioning.
Fix it when it doesn’t work. You will solve problems with structured methods such as 8D, Lean and Six Sigma, and where proven tooling does not perform as intended, drive the Engineering Change Notice (ECN) for an update or coordinate the fix with input from the subject matter expert (SME).
Write it down and train it. You will author and improve clear, concise work instructions and routings, including those that cover the use of tooling, and help make sure operators are trained and supported.
Work with design. You will collaborate with design engineering so that manufacturability is considered early, and feed back manufacturing challenges and lessons learned.
Contribute to quality planning. You will contribute to APQP and FMEA activities, helping to make sure critical characteristics are reflected in tooling and control plans.
Improve year on year. You will provide governance to the upkeep of tooling in service, use data to spot trends before they affect delivery, and keep improving how we specify, track and sustain tooling, placing Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost (SQDC) at the centre of every decision.
Support the wider team. Tooling is your first priority, but its workload will vary over the contract. When it does, you will also contribute to the wider Manufacturing Engineering team’s day-to-day work, such as work instructions, routings and technical…