Industrial Engineer - Operations

We are looking for an Industrial Engineer – Operations to take ownership of industrial performance across Structures, Paint, Assembly and End of Line at Gordon Murray Automotive. Working alongside Manufacturing Engineering, Operations and cross-functional teams, you will ensure robust plans are in place to achieve Quality, Cost and Delivery targets. The role owns Hours Per Car (HPC), manufacturing Cost Per Unit (CPU), standard labour content, capacity, headcount, line balance, utilisation and productivity. You will use manufacturing data to identify performance gaps, develop improvement priorities and support the generation and maintenance of robust manufacturing processes and work instructions. This is an opportunity to play a key role in improving the manufacturing performance of GMA's low-volume vehicle production environment.

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for governing and improving end-to-end industrial engineering performance across the complete vehicle manufacturing value stream. This is your chance to:

• Own industrial engineering performance across Structures, Paint, Assembly and End of Line.
• Own and govern Hours Per Car (HPC) and standard labour content across the complete vehicle manufacturing value stream.
• Own manufacturing Cost Per Unit (CPU) analysis and identify quantified cost reduction opportunities.
• Develop and maintain HPC and CPU glidepaths covering current performance, target condition, improvement actions, timing, benefits and accountable owners.
• Translate programme volumes and manufacturing content into labour, headcount, capacity and shift requirements.
• Perform standard time, cycle time, station loading, takt, line balancing, utilisation, efficiency and capacity analysis.
• Govern standard hours, off-standard activity, concessions, rework, downtime and other non-value-added manufacturing hours.
• Analyse actual manufacturing hours against plan, identify variances and lead structured root cause and corrective action.
• Identify bottlenecks, waste, excess labour content and inefficient process steps and drive measurable productivity improvement.
• Develop industrial performance reporting covering HPC, CPU, labour, headcount, capacity, efficiency, productivity and improvement delivery.
• Provide data-led recommendations for tooling, facilities, automation, make/buy and capital investment decisions.
• Support Manufacturing Engineering with the generation, development and maintenance of manufacturing processes, standardised work and process operating instructions.
• Support PFMEA, Control Plan and process development activities.
• Support production launch and ramp-up using actual build data to validate and refine standard times, headcount assumptions, capacity models and manufacturing plans.
• Lead continuous improvement using Lean, Kaizen/A3, root cause analysis and data-led problem solving, with benefits quantified and tracked.
• Develop repeatable industrial engineering standards, methods and best practices for current and future programmes.
• Communicate industrial performance, risks, priorities and required support clearly to Manufacturing Engineering and Operations leadership teams. Skills, Knowledge and Expertise You'll be an analytical, commercially aware and self-directing industrial engineer with strong automotive manufacturing experience and the ability to translate operational performance into clear actions and measurable improvements. Essential:
• Strong, proven and relevant automotive manufacturing experience within an appropriate consultancy or OEM, preferably within a complex or low-volume vehicle production environment.
• Demonstrable industrial engineering experience covering Hours Per Car, standard labour content, capacity planning, headcount modelling, line balancing and productivity improvement.
• Experience of manufacturing cost analysis and Cost Per Unit governance, with the ability to translate operational performance into financial impact.
• Experience of full product lifecycle activities, production launch and ramp-up.
• Experience of FMEA, Control Plans, Kaizen/A3, Lean manufacturing, standardised work, process improvement and Poka Yoke techniques.
• Strong analytical capability, including actual versus standard performance analysis, variance identification and structured problem solving.
• Advanced ability to use IT, MES, MRP/ERP and CAD packages, including Office 365, Smartsheet, Power BI, IFS, 3Dx and CATIA.
• Ability to create clear industrial performance reports, dashboards, business cases and recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Experience supporting the generation and maintenance of manufacturing processes and work instructions in collaboration with Manufacturing Engineering.
• Clear and effective communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Organised, numerate, commercially aware, persuasive, resourceful, flexible, ambitious and comfortable challenging existing processes and assumptions.

Qualifications

• Relevant manufacturing or industrial engineering degree preferred.
• A Levels, ONC, City & Guilds Level 3, BTEC National Diploma Level 3, IVQ Technician Diploma or equivalent NVQ Level 3 qualification. Why This Role Matters This role is responsible for ensuring industrial performance across GMA's manufacturing operations is understood, controlled and continuously improved. Working across Structures, Paint, Assembly and End of Line, you will provide the analysis and governance required to manage labour, capacity, manufacturing cost and productivity, while supporting robust manufacturing processes and work instructions. Your work will directly support Quality, Cost and Delivery targets and help establish industrial engineering standards and best practices across current and future programmes