Npi Engineer in Wolverhampton, West Midlands (County)

NPI (New Product Introduction) Engineer

Salary: £40,000–£45,000 per annum, depending on experience.
Working Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 7:00am – 4:00pm.
Location: Bott Lane, with responsibilities across two sites.
Reporting To: NPI Manager.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced and proactive NPI Engineer to join a manufacturing team, playing a key role in the introduction of new products and the continuous improvement of manufacturing processes.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual with a background in engineering, manufacturing or quality assurance, ideally within a foundry or casting environment, to take ownership of new product introduction projects from initial development through to full production.

You will work closely with customers, internal departments and external suppliers to ensure new products are introduced efficiently, meet required quality standards and achieve a right-first-time approach.

The successful candidate will play an important role in improving manufacturing efficiency, reducing waste, minimising defects and ensuring a smooth transition from prototype development into volume production.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage NPI projects from initial customer requirements and prototype development through to full production.

• Act as a key point of contact for customers, providing regular progress updates, managing expectations and ensuring project requirements are met.

• Work cross-functionally with engineering, production, quality, tooling and pattern-shop teams to coordinate project activities and action plans.

• Apply quality tools and methodologies, including APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA and Control Plans.

• Coordinate sample production processes, ensuring all stages are completed, documented and approved before progressing.

• Work closely with tooling engineers, pattern shops and external suppliers to ensure tooling, patterns, cores and ancillary equipment meet project requirements.

• Review manufacturing documentation, work instructions, process flows and traceability records to ensure accuracy and compliance.

• Support improvements to casting quality, yield and manufacturing efficiency, reducing internal and external scrap, rework and unnecessary processing.

• Utilise casting simulation software to support method optimisation, gating and feeding design, solidification analysis and casting improvements.

• Identify and implement design and process modifications to improve product quality, reduce lead times and minimise tooling and manufacturing costs.

• Monitor product quality and outgoing shipments, identifying trends and implementing corrective actions where required.

• Produce regular management reports covering project progress, quality performance, defects and improvement activities.

• Ensure a smooth transition of new products from prototype and sample stages into series and volume production.

• Promote continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and a right-first-time approach throughout the business.

Skills & Experience

The ideal candidate will have:

• Previous experience in an NPI, manufacturing engineering, process engineering or quality engineering role.

• Experience managing new product introduction projects and coordinating cross-functional teams.

• A strong understanding of manufacturing processes and quality assurance principles.

• Knowledge of APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA and Control Plans.

• Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to liaise with customers, suppliers and senior stakeholders.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with a data-driven approach to identifying improvements.

• Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel and Word.

• The ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise workloads and meet agreed deadlines.

• A proactive approach to continuous improvement and driving positive change.

The following experience would be particularly advantageous:

• Previous experience within a foundry, casting or metal manufacturing environment.

• Knowledge of casting methods, gating and feeding systems and tooling design.

• Experience using flow and solidification simulation software.

• Experience working with pattern shops, tooling engineers and external manufacturing suppliers.

• Knowledge of lean manufacturing and process optimisation techniques.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a confident, driven and technically minded NPI Engineer who can take ownership of projects and influence positive change across a manufacturing environment.

You will be comfortable working with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders at all levels, with the ability to communicate effectively, solve problems and drive projects forward.

A background in foundry or casting operations would be highly advantageous, particularly for candidates with experience in tooling, manufacturing methods, process optimisation and quality improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineering professional to take on a key role within new product development, influence manufacturing performance and contribute to the long-term success of the business.

If you have the technical knowledge, project management experience and drive to improve manufacturing processes and product quality, we would love to hear from you.