Senior Production Engineer
Oxford Nanopore Technologies: Our goal is to bring the widest benefits to society through enabling the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere.
The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology for faster, information rich, accessible and affordable molecular analysis.
The first application is DNA/RNA sequencing, and the technology is in development for the analysis of other types of molecules including proteins.
The technology is used to understand and characterise the biology of humans and diseases such as cancer, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and whole environments.
With a thriving culture of ambition and strong innovation goals, Oxford Nanopore is a UK headquartered company with global operations and customers in more than 125 countries!
About the Role
We are looking for a Senior Production Engineer to lead the manufacturing support, industrialisation, and scaling of manual, semi-automated, and fully automated assembly processes for our cutting-edge fluidic products.
This role will be based at Abingdon Business Park, Oxfordshire.
In this role, you won't just sit behind a desk-you’ll actively get involved building, debugging, and commissioning assembly fixtures, robotic cells, and custom test equipment. You will play a crucial role in taking new products from R&D concepts to robust, high-yield, high-throughput production processes.
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with R&D and Design teams to seamlessly transfer new fluidic products into production.
- Develop and debug advanced assembly processes, including plastic laser welding, precision dispensing, leak testing, syringe-pump fills, and laser marking.
- Build, wire, and commission assembly fixtures, robotic cells, vision systems, and electrical enclosures.
- Modify wiring and troubleshoot PLC, Safety PLC, HMI functionality, fieldbus networks, and hardware sensors/actuators.
- Lead FAT, SAT, IQ, OQ, and PQ activities following GAMP-style expectations and strict quality standards.
- Utilize root-cause analysis, FMEA, and SPC tools to optimize yield, cut costs, and boost process reliability.
What We’re Looking For
Must-Haves:
- Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automation, Mechatronics (or equivalent), or formal apprenticeship with significant hands-on industry experience.
- Proven background in production/manufacturing engineering within medical devices, biotech, pharmaceuticals, or a similarly regulated environment.
- A true willingness to get into the workshop-building, wiring, debugging, and tuning machinery personally.
- Technical Breadth:
- Practical 3D CAD skills and electrical schematic creation.
- Solid understanding of PLC, Safety PLC, HMI systems, and industrial networking.
- Validation experience (FAT, SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ).
Nice-to-Haves:
- Experience programming or integrating 6-axis, SCARA, Delta, or Cartesian robots.
- Background with fluid handling processes (dispensing, jet valves, leak testing).
- Familiarity with ISO 13485 / ISO 9001 environments and GAMP principles.
- Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification and proficiency in Minitab.
Why Join Us?
Are you a hands-on engineer who thrives at the intersection of automation, clever design, and precision manufacturing?
You will take full ownership of novel processes from early-stage concepts right through to validation and live support.
If you bring curiosity, resilience, and a drive to solve complex engineering challenges, you will thrive in our fast-paced, collaborative team environment.
We offer outstanding benefits to include an attractive bonus, generous pension contributions, private healthcare and an excellent starting salary.
If you are looking to utilise your skills to really make a difference to humankind, then consider joining our team and apply today!
Please note that no terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person's gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the job.