Job Description

Senior Manufacturing Engineer
Application Deadline: 7 November 2025
Department: Process Improvement
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Poole - Unit M
Compensation: 40,000 - 48,000 / year
Description
Location: Unit M, Fleets Corner Business Park
Diversity matters
We are building a brand that represents the people of the world. It's what you do that counts, and we are always looking to expand perspectives and voices to shape our future.
We see you, we celebrate you, we want you!
Who we are
You might know us as the inventors of the bath bomb, but there's more to this great-smelling, partly employee-owned, family-run company than pioneering cosmetics. We believe our business should put more back into the world than it takes and demonstrate that capitalism can be a force for good.
The Living Wage Foundation's statement 'a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay' is one that we are proud to commit to in the UK. As an accredited Living Wage employer, we put our people first and fight cruel practices like animal testing, promote regeneration, and show that it is what's inside that counts - whether that's an ingredient in a product, or the minerals in a smartphone.
The team
The Process Improvement team is a multi-disciplined function ideal for managing change within our organisation. The team has a diverse skill set, with team members who have developed within Lush, with an inherent understanding of the business, and those with external Mechanical / Manufacturing / Process expertise from other business sectors. Process Improvement is not as simple as just making a process faster or more efficient. We work in close collaboration across the organisation and at multiple levels.
We provide expertise in solution finding for a multitude of challenges, including increasing productivity & efficiency, reducing or eliminating repetitive operations, and "working smarter". This includes our ability to evaluate data, produce & present that data to support business cases or development opportunities, whatever they may be. We also look at opportunities to improve our ways of working, including creating & implementing processes & procedures that can add value to our business and enhance the overall quality of what we do and how we do it.
We have global influence, and we work closely with our respective sites in the UK and across the World, including Croatia, Australia, Japan, and North America. We are constantly looking to develop ourselves and the organisation we work in. We support "Lean" awareness across the organisation and build our team's skills & abilities.
Please note: We may close this vacancy early if we receive an overwhelming response or our business requirements change.
Key Responsibilities
Process Development & Equipment Specification

• Lead the development of new manufacturing processes and the specification of new equipment, ensuring cost-effective integration and operational efficiency across all sites.
• Manage the full life cycle of new systems, ensuring all product and system requirements are considered, from initial product conception through to the finished result.
• Provide expert guidance on optimising floor layout, cell designs, and automated flow lines, generating supporting technical data for proposed solutions.

Continuous Improvement Lean Leadership

• Champion Lean methodologies (e.g., Process Mapping, Value Stream Mapping) and practices across the group.
• Actively identify and propose the elimination of waste from processes, providing guidance and support to team members.
• Design and implement error-proofing (Poka-Yoke) methods to eliminate defects and reduce variability in manufacturing processes.
• Improve manufacturing efficiency by analysing and planning workflow, space utilisation, and equipment layout.
• Lead and support continuous improvement, problem-solving, and root cause analysis activities to resolve production and process issues.

Technical Guidance & Documentation

• Reduce process variability by providing expert guidance on developing and deploying standard work methods and work instructions.
• Ensure all manufacturing process methods consistently achieve required product quality specifications.
• Generate and maintain all relevant technical data, documentation, statistical reports, and presentations.
• Investigate and provide advanced technical support and training to resolve production and process issues.
• Stay abreast of current and developing manufacturing trends and equipment advancements.

Leadership & Compliance

• Guide and lead project team members as required by project scope and complexity.
• Train and mentor team members and manufacturing operatives on new processes and standards.
• Supervise subcontractors as necessary to ensure project success.
• Comply fully with all Health, Safety, and Environmental Policies.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
This role requires broad expertise across diverse manufacturing technologies, processes, and methods, spanning both low- and high-volume production. Experience within automotive, aerospace, cosmetic, food, or pharmaceutical industries is a distinct advantage. The engineer possesses a solid foundation in general engineering principles, including mechanical, fluids, thermodynamics, and chemical engineering, and operates with a sound understanding of Lean methodologies. They are highly proficient in autonomously deploying these tools to execute complex process improvement assignments and deliver scheduled solutions. Operating in a structured and methodical way, the engineer ensures accurate project data documentation, is highly competent at compiling and communicating technical data clearly to all stakeholders, and is driven to continuously seek overall process, product, and business improvements, embodying the "right first time, every time" ethos and the role model behaviour expected of a senior team member.
Technical & Engineering Proficiency

• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes and procedures, complemented by a strong foundation in engineering, scientific, and technical knowledge.
• Expertise in Lean Manufacturing principles and proven ability to effectively utilize relevant Lean tools to drive continuous process improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound technical judgment and latitude in selecting and defining work methods.

Problem-Solving & Analysis

• Exceptional problem-solving skills coupled with a rigorous, logical approach to root cause analysis.
• Highly proficient in compiling, analyzing, and interpreting technical data to validate process improvement activities and measure outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills to identify business opportunities and proactively seek out initiatives to reduce cost and drive continuous improvement across the group.

Project & Leadership Skills

• Proven planning and prioritisation skills to manage activities and deliver results effectively.
• Significant experience in effectively presenting complex technical data and communicating findings to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to lead and train work groups, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement within the team.
• Advanced team working skills combined with strong interpersonal and professional communication skills.

Professional Standards

• Demonstrated advanced understanding of Health and Safety best practices.
• Extremely well organised, reliable, and proficient in utilising standard computer applications (e.g., Google Workspace, MS Office).

Preferred Qualifications

• Ideally holds a higher-level qualification or degree in Manufacturing Engineering or a related discipline.
• Membership in an engineering Institution and registration with the Engineering Council is highly desirable.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• 6 months of full pay for parental leave (primary caregiver must qualify for SMP)
• Enhanced paternity leave*
• Bonus scheme
• Day off for weekday birthdays
• Holiday purchase scheme
• 50% discount on Lush products and spa treatments
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted rail and bus season tickets
• Employee assistance programme
• We're 10% Employee Owned - all colleagues play a role in protecting our ethics, our independence, contributing ideas for the future and share in the rewards of success when the company is doing well.
• Support groups, film nights, yoga, meditation sessions and much more
• *Tailored gender affirming care

*qualifying period/hours required
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Skills Required