Manufacturing Engineer

Job description

Company mission: Manufacturing next-generation compound semiconductors from a purpose-built Class 100 facility in the UK.

Backed by significant government investment and a 10-year growth plan, the site is scaling up as part of an emerging semiconductor cluster in the North East.

Role Overview

You will provide manufacturing and industrial engineering support to a high-volume wafer fab as it ramps. That means owning the fab capacity model that drives equipment purchases and staffing, and using WIP and equipment availability data to improve cycle time, line velocity, machine uptime and delivery performance. You will work closely with operations management, engineering and automation teams to optimise how WIP flows through the factory.

What You'll Own

Capacity Modelling:

• Maintaining the fab capacity model, keeping data integrity through engineering change control and regular contact with tool owners
• Running what-if analysis on business changes and advising which starts and mixes the factory can support, now and against the future order book
• Identifying the tools and moves needed to support shifts in starts mix
• Providing capacity and cost analysis to support decision making

Cycle Time and Line Performance:

• Developing and implementing solutions to problems affecting cycle time and delivery performance
• Collecting and validating data through stopwatch time studies and automation log analysis to measure the throughput impact of process changes
• Helping tool owners understand the capacity impact of process changes

Operations Support:

• Working with engineering, manufacturing and planning on the release of new methods, flows and processes
• Estimating manufacturing cost, setting time standards and recommending tooling and process requirements
• Maintaining records and reporting systems, and providing information for management reviews of operational performance

What We're Looking For

Essential

• 2+ years in semiconductor, electronics or automotive manufacturing, covering capacity modelling, operational optimisation and data analysis
• Strong data analysis skills, including statistical analysis and modelling; advanced Excel
• Lean/Six Sigma experience and structured problem-solving methodologies
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering plus 3 years' industry experience, or a proven track record driving continuous improvement in industry
• Comfortable working in a cleanroom environment

Useful

• Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt certification
• Strong communication and presentation skills, used to presenting operational performance to management

Get in touch for a confidential conversation. Imogen@waverecruitment.co.uk

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Durham

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

25-08-2026

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English