Engineering Manager

At Eakin Healthcare we put our patient at the heart of everything we do.

Fifty years ago, it all started with one man’s mission: pharmacist, Tom George Eakin. He saw his patients struggling with leaking urostomy pouches and decided enough was enough. He got to work and formulated what would become the game-changing, eakin Cohesive® seal.

Fast forward to today, and we’re still keeping it in the family. We’ve grown a lot since then, both organically and through acquisitions. We now have a team of over 700 colleagues across three manufacturing sites and 12 sales and distribution centres. We’re making a difference in three therapeutic areas:

• Ostomy
• Respiratory
• Surgical

We’re proud to export our innovative products to over 60 countries through a network of 40 distributors plus our own offices in Japan, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg.

We’re good at what we do – come and join us!

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the Director of Engineering within the R&D team, this is an exciting opportunity to join a growing team, and liaise with various functions across the organisation.  The Engineering Manager will work in close partnership with our Product Designers and Production team to ensure all new products transition from Design to Production seamlessly within the business.  This role will suit an individual who is a ‘hands-on’ role and is capable of building professional working relationships, work within a team and enjoy working to a high degree of autonomy.

KEY ACTIVITIES

• Responsible for all Design Transfer activities.
• Designing, creating and updating Manufacturing Processes to manufacture new products.
• Support current Manufacturing Processes with emphasis on efficiency and maintaining Validated state.
• Contribute to the development of new devices, from early-stage product concepts to ready for market, in line with Eakin’s development strategy, Quality system and Development Process.
• Contribute as a key team member to allocated work-streams within development projects, to meet project targets and ensure end product meets with customer expectations and operational needs.
• Provide input to technical reports and design documentation for internal and external users to review ensuring that the content is accurate and informed.
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach by proactively seeking out development opportunities and ensuring your team has the right skills to meet business needs.
• As a key member of the New Product Development (NPD) project team investigate all manufacturing solutions and liaise with Production to ensure agreed production systems are in place by the agreed project milestones
• Develop technical specifications for new manufacturing systems
• Advise and coordinate with the R&D team on any new equipment, tooling etc required for new products or process improvements ensuring the lead times are considered against project plans for product launches
• Continually review existing and new processes, implementing process improvements and keeping under review the effectiveness of changes
• Visit trade shows and develop key working relationships with equipment suppliers to ensure out manufacturing systems reflect the current best in class systems
• Ensure all associated Quality documentation and reports are maintained and kept up to date
• Uses a range of standard and well-established methods to guide decisions (for example Design of Experiments) and ultimately establish themselves as a thought leader within the company for decisions related to the manufacture of new devices.
• Objectives will be regularly reviewed and set in line with company plans.

Other

• To adhere to the company’s Equal Opportunities policy and Dignity at work policy in all activities and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible
• To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the company’s’ Health and Safety policy
• To adhere to the company’s Quality policy and Environmental policy
• To undertake other duties as may be reasonably required

KEY SKILLS

Essential

• Degree OR exceptional level of Technical experience in an Engineering or related discipline.
• Proven track record of improving existing manufacturing Processes
• Experience of sourcing, purchasing and installing manufacturing equipment ideally leading but as part of a team is acceptable
• Able to manage own schedule and work in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects whilst still delivering to plan
• Hold a valid driving licence and able and willing to travel internationally and between company sites.

Desirable

• Able to demonstrate a working knowledge of electro-mechanical systems
• Experience with automation and robotic control systems
• Proven track record in the use of Process Capability tools.
• Previous experience in a similar role(s) within a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of continuous improvement methods to improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), quality, reduce cost, inefficiencies and waste.
• Experience of designing and conducting Process Capability Studies – this will be a significant aspect of the job.
• Knowledge of ISO 13485 quality systems or equivalent.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

• Working alongside the Product Development Team to provide leadership in the transition of Designs to Manufactured and launched Products. Leading the Capital Investment plans needed to bring new designs to market.
• Working alongside Manufacturing Leadership team to ensure all manufacturing processes are optimised and as cost effective as is possible. Leading the Capital Investment plans needed to support Continuous improvement programmes.
• Quality - ensuring all documentation is of an appropriate and consistent standard.

External

• Suppliers – principally machinery suppliers but also material suppliers.
• Universities and other sources of ‘best in class thinking’.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Direct reports
• Industrialisation Engineers
• Process Engineers
• Test Engineers and Technicians
• Occasional UK and international travel requirements, generally no more than 1 week per month but very much project dependant.

COMPETENCIES

Tech Savvy
Anticipating and adopting innovations in business-building digital and technology applications.

Manages Complexity
Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.

Directs Work
Providing direction, delegating and removing obstacles to get work done.

Optimizes Work Processes
Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Ensures Accountability
Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.

Builds Effective Teams
Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.

Organizational Savvy
Manoeuvring comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related organizational dynamics.

Courage
Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.