Manufacturing Engineer - New Product Introduction

Overview

We are looking for an experience Manufacturing Engineer to play a key role in bringing new products from design through to scalable production.

This is not a purely maintenance or process-support role. You will work at the intersection of design, CNC machining, and production—owning the industrialisation of high-precision components in a fast-moving, regulated defence environment.

You will collaborate closely with design engineers, CNC programmers, machinists, and quality teams to ensure parts are manufacturable, efficient to produce, and consistently delivered to tight tolerances.

If you enjoy solving complex manufacturing challenges, improving how things are built, and working in environments where processes are still being defined, this role is for you.

Responsibilities

• Support New Product Introduction (NPI), taking components from design through to full production readiness.
• Develop and implement robust manufacturing processes for high-precision aerospace and defence components.
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation, including process plans, work instructions, and setup sheets.
• Work closely with design engineering to ensure manufacturability (DFM/DFA) is embedded early in the design process.
• Collaborate with CAM programmers (e.g. hyperMILL, Siemens NX) to define efficient machining strategies.
• Provide hands-on support to CNC machinists during setup, prove-out, and production.
• Design fixtures, tooling, and workholding solutions to enable repeatable and efficient manufacture.
• Analyse and improve machining processes to optimise cycle time, quality, and throughput.
• Investigate and resolve manufacturing issues, non-conformances, and production bottlenecks.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Manufacturing Engineer within precision engineering or machining environments.
• Experience working in aerospace, defence, motorsport, or similar high-performance industries.
• Strong experience supporting CNC machining operations, including 5-axis milling and/or mill-turn.
• Experience supporting NPI and transitioning products into production.
• Strong understanding of machining processes, manufacturing methods, and production environments.
• Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, CAD models, and GD&T requirements.
• Experience working with aluminium, titanium, stainless steel, and nickel-based alloys.

Preferred Qualifications / Experience

• Experience operating in fast-paced, startup, or scaling manufacturing environments.
• Experience with hyperMILL, Siemens NX, or similar CAD/CAM platforms.
• Experience working within AS9100 or similar regulated quality environments
• Apprenticeship and education background in machining or manufacturing (highly valued), HNC/HND or degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or similar

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and stock options
• Private Medical & Dental
• Cycle to work scheme
• Lunchtime catering on site

About Us

The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe. That risk comes from the air – low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it, and a new generation of hypersonic weapons that evade every existing defence.

We’re building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them – at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.

We have immense backing from the world’s best venture funds. We’re one of the fastest growing defence technology companies in history. And we’re hiring the best engineers to prosecute the mission.

If you are in the top 1%, willing to work harder than you ever have, build technology better than anyone else, and contribute to the defining challenge of our time, now is the time to join us.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.