Tooling Design Engineer

Tooling Design Engineer

Ampthill, Bedfordshire (Onsite)

£40-£50 per hour

12-Month Contract

37.5 Hours Per Week | Monday to Thursday (4-Day Week)

Inside IR35

Active SC Clearance Required

The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Tooling Design Engineer to join a leading defence engineering programme. Working within the Operations Engineering team, you will support the full product lifecycle, from prototype development and manufacturing build through to production support and product maturity.

This role offers the chance to work on complex engineering projects, designing and developing tooling, jigs, fixtures and manufacturing aids that improve quality, efficiency and production performance. You will play a key role in supporting manufacturing operations while driving continuous improvement and right-first-time quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop tooling, jigs and fixtures for manufacturing applications.
• Support tooling requirements across NC machining and composite lay-up activities.
• Create technical requirement specifications and manufacturing documentation.
• Produce manufacturing BOMs, routings and detailed process instructions.
• Support new product introduction and ongoing production programmes.
• Work closely with Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering and wider project teams.
• Drive manufacturing improvements, cost reduction initiatives and quality enhancements.
• Support capital equipment projects from definition through to implementation.

Skills & Experience

• Proven tooling design experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience designing tooling solutions from concept through to production release.
• Strong manufacturing knowledge across CNC machining, composites, fabrication, mechanical assembly or additive manufacturing.
• Proficiency using CREO to create 3D models and engineering drawings.
• Experience using Windchill for document control and change management.
• Ability to produce engineering drawings to BS8888 standards.
• Working knowledge of GD&T, DFM/A and PFMEA principles.
• Experience preparing manufacturing BOMs, routings and process documentation.
• Understanding of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.

Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Collaborative team player with a proactive approach.
• Ability to work independently and influence positive change.
• Highly organised with a focus on quality, delivery and customer requirements.

Please note: Due to the nature of the programme, candidates must hold active SC Security Clearance and be available to work onsite in Ampthil