Principal Industrialisation / Process Engineer

Ricardo, member of WSP, is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading edge and innovative cross sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world.

About the Role

This role is part of Ricardo's Performance Products NPI team, supporting New Product Introduction projects across a range of niche products for premium brand customers. It involves applying process engineering and project leadership skills in a dynamic, hands on manufacturing environment, driving the industrialisation of new products and variants. Responsibilities include leading NPI projects, managing facilities, suppliers, quality, and processes, and supporting the wider team in delivering new products and securing customers across sectors including Automotive, Marine, Rail, Aerospace, and Green Propulsion.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading technical, process engineering, and project management activities for industrialisation and consultancy projects.
• Developing, implementing, and maintaining manufacturing process documentation (DFA/DFM, Build Processes/manuals, Process Control Plans, PFMEAs, Risk Assessments, Safety Systems, Launch Readiness).
• Designing equipment, facility layouts, and material flows, and estimating component, assembly, and equipment costs and time.
• Specifying, procuring, commissioning, installing, and validating tooling and equipment to meet production efficiency and reliability targets.
• Supporting prototype builds, early validation of production processes, and development of assembly work standards for handover to production teams.
• Driving continuous improvement of manufacturing processes to meet cost, quality, and delivery targets.
• Ensuring supplier and assembly quality, including audits and adherence to APQP/PPAP requirements for new products, suppliers, and components.
• Reporting internally and to customers on project and launch readiness status.
• Supporting business development and preparing case studies, technical material, and proposals for new opportunities.
• Experience in industrialisation, supply chain, and quality assurance processes, preferably in the automotive sector.
• Flexibility to travel domestically and internationally to suppliers and customers.

Key Competencies and Experience

• Experience of manufacturing project leadership in a niche assembly sector
• Automotive, Marine, Aerospace and Green technology environment background with experience of automotive technology and product development including Vehicle and Powertrain Systems (ICE and electrification)
• Experience with various manufacturing processes and components deployed in assembly (DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plans, Capability studies (gauge R&R), Work instructions and equipment handover) & quality gates (e.g. End of Line testing)
• Industrialisation and Launch Readiness leadership and experience
• Aware of and committed to best practice manufacturing practice and processes.
• Hands on experience of lean manufacturing
• Design & CAD experience for tooling & fixtures, virtual builds, factory layouts (2d/3d) and assembly equipment.
• Experience of automotive quality systems and delivery standards including NCRs, concessions, containment actions
• Understanding of relevant manufacturing methods, detailed drawings, and GD&T
• Understanding in Supplier Quality including APQP and PPAP of components (including ISO9000 & IATF16949)

Desirable Competencies and Experience

• Chartered Engineer
• Qualified IATF Auditor
• Experience in component and equipment cost estimating.
• Experience in project management and commercial management
• Experience in PLC, MES and vision systems
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP business systems (e.g., Baan/SAP) and Excel

Working here

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.

We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on. Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.

We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health.

Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.

Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.