{"id":904445,"url":"https://alion.io/job/knds-manufacturing-automation-engineer","title":"MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION ENGINEER","company":{"id":1046200,"name":"KNDS","domain":"knds.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/knds-2","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Teamtailor","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":77,"open_postings":7,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.714,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":79,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Stockport, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":39000,"max_usd":81000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":875},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2025-12-22T14:46:32Z","employer_posted_date":"2025-12-22","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T16:39:41Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":313,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":312},"description":"We are currently looking for a Manufacturing Automation Engineer\nA little about us:\nWith over a century of engineering expertise and innovation, KNDS UK is a renowned world leader in rapidly deployable military bridging systems and a key partner in the UK MoD’s Boxer armoured vehicle programme.\nWe are proud of our heritage and our reputation of providing the highest quality engineering solutions for over 100 years. As a trusted partner to military customers around the world, our employees are the very heart of our company. We have a skilled and experienced workforce dedicated to achieving excellence in all areas of the business from Engineering to Project Management, Business Support to Operations.\nAs our business evolves, we are looking to strengthen our workforce with talented and motivated individuals across a range of disciplines to work from our Northwest Engineering Centre of Excellence and currently have this opportunity available:\nAbout the role:\nWe are seeking a practical, hands-on Automation Engineer to support and maintain robotic welding and fabrication systems across production. This role is focused on keeping equipment running, improving processes in real time, and supporting continuous improvement on the shop floor. This role will also be a point of reference to support the AME team during the introduction of new equipment\nKey duties include, but are not limited to:\nSupport concept development and act as a technical liaison with suppliers when required\n\nSupport specification and implementation of automation equipment where required\n\nSupport hands-on commissioning, installation, and Acceptance Testing (FAT and SAT) of robotic and automated systems\n\nSupport the development of preventative maintenance routines in collaboration with maintenance teams\n\nSupport maintenance with specialist knowledge, carrying out rapid fault finding and implementing software fixes to maintain production uptime on the new automation systems\n\nWork closely with integrators and internal teams to diagnose and resolve equipment and process issues\n\nProgramme, modify, and develop PLCs and associated control systems\n\nIdentify opportunities for automation improvements within welding and fabrication processes (steel and aluminium)\n\nDevelop and refine robot programmes for welding applications, together with the Weld Engineering team\n\nFamiliarity with off-line programming tools\n\nProgramme and optimise robots on-site, including continuous improvement updates and introduction of new parts\n\nSupport analysis of production issues and implement practical improvements on automation equipment\n\nApply continuous improvement and lean principles directly on the shop floor\n\nSupport operators with basic robot operation, fault recovery, and safety awareness\n\nUpdate cell documentation including operating procedures and automation standards\n\nHave an awareness of and ensure all equipment modifications comply with EHS, CE/UKCA, and PUWER requirements\n\nSupport manufacturing and quality standards through consistent process control and adherence to procedures\n\nWhat we’re looking for:\n\nOur ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:\n· HND in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics discipline\n· Proficiency in at least one major robot language and experience with PLCs\n· Degree in Manufacturing, Engineering or Mechatronics discipline\n· PRINCE2, Agile, PMP or similar project management accreditation.\n· Lean certification such a Six Sigma Green or Black Belt would be advantageous.\n· Proven experience in a similar role\n· Computer skills (MS Office Excel, Word, PowerPoint).\n· Lean Manufacturing experience.\n· Working within a manufacturing and engineering environment.\n· Ability to identify and mitigate technical, schedule and cost risks.\n· Understanding of large-scale manufacturing, including advanced techniques, quality control (e.g., Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing).\n· Practical experience of NPI.\n· Process planning and optimisation.\n· Ability to analyse process data to drive improvements (cycle and tact RFT etc.)\n· Practical knowledge of relevant H&SE regulations\nWhy you should join us:\nWhen you become part of the KNDS UK team, you will enjoy employee benefits such as:\n· Competitive salary\n· Attractive pension (4% employee contribution, 7% employer contribution)\n· Half-day Friday\n· Life assurance scheme\n· Company sick pay scheme which increases with service\n· Employee Assistance Programme\n· Additional Holidays & other Long Service rewards\n· Wellbeing initiatives, such as Free Fruit on Tuesday’s\n· Cycle to work Scheme\n· Free on-site car parking\n· On-site electric vehicle charging points\nWe’re also very proud to be part of the Armed Forces Covenant since 2018, achieving their Silver Award in 2020 and Gold Award in 2024. We actively support and encourage service leavers, reservists and cadets to join our team, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process.\nIf you are passionate about Automation and eager to contribute to a thriving workplace environment, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.\nWe look forward to receiving your application!\nRecruiters please note that we have a list of approved recruitment agency partners in place and we will contact agencies directly should we require support. Any unsolicited CV’s received via an agency will be accepted with thanks but without fee.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5404,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Armored Vehicles","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-14T12:57:33Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":7,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.258,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":312,"expected_fill_days":79,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/knds-manufacturing-automation-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/knds-manufacturing-automation-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T17:19:41Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":27158,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1046200},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1046200"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fknds-manufacturing-automation-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fknds-manufacturing-automation-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fknds-manufacturing-automation-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/knds-manufacturing-automation-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fknds-manufacturing-automation-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":904445}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"knds.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":904445},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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