Associate Principal Manufacturing Engineer

About us

The Global Manufacturing team delivers manufacturing technology and solutions for the mass production of Dyson’s innovative product technology through partnership with our design, quality and commercial organisations, as well as with our suppliers and contract manufacturers. Our operations team continuously drives reductions in our supply costs, and improvements in our quality and delivery performance ensuring our products are delivered on time to our customers with the highest standards.

About the role
The Associate Principal Manufacturing Engineer (APE) serves as the Manufacturing Engineering Subject Matter Expert (SME) for sustaining operations, driving manufacturing excellence across Quality, Delivery, and Cost. The role provides technical leadership as well as Technical Expert to Contract Manufacturers (CMs) and internal teams, ensuring robust manufacturing processes, effective problem-solving, and continuous improvement initiatives. The APE is expected to lead critical production issue resolution, drive SAQ activity, mentor engineering teams, and support the Manufacturing Engineering Manager in achieving business and operational goals. 

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
Sustaining Manufacturing Engineering

• Support the Manufacturing Engineering Manager in driving Contract Manufacturers (CMs) towards Quality, Delivery, and Cost.
• Act as the primary Subject Matter Expert (SME) for manufacturing process, equipment, and test-related issues.
• Lead and coordinate resolution of critical production issues impacting safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction.
• Drive manufacturing process optimization initiatives to improve yield, productivity, equipment effectiveness, and operational efficiency.
• Provide technical guidance and direction on manufacturing processes, automation systems, assembly operations, and testing methodologies.
• Ensure manufacturing processes remain robust, controlled, and capable throughout the product lifecycle.
• Support production line setup, process improvements, equipment upgrades, and capacity expansion activities.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams and CMs to implement permanent corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive cost reduction projects, OPEX improvements, and manufacturing efficiency initiatives. 
• Own certain key technology within Dyson and lead the implementation with all CMs

Quality & SAQ Leadership

• Lead SAQ improvement activities across manufacturing sites and Contract Manufacturers.
• Drive closure of quality escalations, customer complaints, audit findings, and recurring production issues.
• Facilitate Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and ensure effective implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Promote a data-driven quality culture through effective use of quality tools and manufacturing analytics.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure manufacturing compliance with quality requirements.
• Establish process controls and monitoring systems to prevent quality excursions and sustain improvements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve First Pass Yield (FPY), OEE, Scrap, COPQ, and reliability performance.

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Lead structured problem-solving activities using DMAIC, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and Root Cause Analysis methodologies.
• Drive cross-functional teams to identify issues, validate root causes, and implement sustainable solutions.
• Utilize statistical analysis and data-driven decision-making to improve process capability and manufacturing performance.
• Champion continuous improvement culture across internal teams and manufacturing partners.
• Identify risks proactively and develop mitigation plans to minimize operational disruptions.

Cost Reduction & Industrial Engineering (MTM)

• Lead cost reduction initiatives across manufacturing operations while maintaining product quality and delivery performance.
• Identify and drive productivity improvement opportunities through process optimization, automation, waste elimination, and capacity enhancement.
• Support OPEX reduction programs and manufacturing efficiency improvement projects.
• Utilize MTM (Methods-Time Measurement) methodologies to analyze production processes, establish labor standards, improve line balancing, and optimize workforce utilization.
• Drive Value Engineering (VA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) opportunities in collaboration with cross-functional teams and Contract Manufacturers.
• Monitor and improve manufacturing KPIs, including labor productivity, cycle time, equipment utilization, and overall manufacturing cost.
• Support business cases and ROI evaluations for manufacturing improvement projects and capital investments.
• Identify and implement best practices across Contract Manufacturers to improve cost competitiveness and operational efficiency.

Technical Leadership & Team Development

• Provide technical leadership and coaching to Manufacturing Engineers and Contract Manufacturer engineering teams.
• Mentor and develop engineers in process engineering, equipment engineering, testing, problem-solving, and manufacturing best practices.
• Establish technical standards, best practices, lessons learned, and knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Support capability development of CM engineering teams to improve ownership and responsiveness to production challenges.
• Serve as a technical advisor during management reviews, quality reviews, and critical issue escalations.

About you

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent.
• Minimum 10 years of Manufacturing Engineering experience supporting electro-mechanical products in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Strong experience in sustaining engineering, production support, process optimization, and manufacturing operations.
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting automated manufacturing systems and production equipment.
• Proven experience managing critical production issues and driving sustainable operational improvements.
• Experience working with Contract Manufacturers (CMs) and global manufacturing operations is preferred.

Technical Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Equipment Engineering, and Test Engineering.
• Strong understanding of: 
  o    PFMEA
  o    Control Plan
  o    MSA
  o    SPC
  o    Process Capability Analysis
  o    DFM / DFA / DFX
  o    Lean Manufacturing
  o    Six Sigma Methodologies
• Demonstrated expertise in DMAIC problem-solving approach.
• Strong analytical and statistical problem-solving skills.
• Experience in manufacturing automation, test systems, and industrial engineering concepts.
• Proficiency in Minitab and other data analysis tools is advantageous.
• Strong knowledge of Industrial Engineering principles, line balancing, capacity planning, and labor optimization. 
• Experience applying MTM (Methods-Time Measurement), time studies, work measurement, and productivity analysis techniques. 
• Proven track record in delivering manufacturing cost reduction and productivity improvement initiatives. 
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing tools including Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Kaizen, 5S, Standard Work, and Waste Elimination. 
• Ability to analyze manufacturing data and develop improvement strategies to optimize Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Productivity performance.

Leadership & Communication

• Strong technical leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence across all organizational levels.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive actions through collaboration.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop engineering talent.
• Ability to prioritize, manage multiple initiatives, and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong commercial and operational awareness with the ability to balance technical decisions against Quality, Delivery, Cost, capacity, and business objectives

Benefits

Dyson monitors the market to ensure competitive salaries and bonuses. Beyond that, you’ll enjoy a transport allowance and comprehensive medical care and insurance. But financial benefits are just the start of a Dyson career. Professional growth, leadership development and new opportunities abound, driven by regular reviews and dynamic workshops. And with a vibrant culture, the latest devices and a relaxed dress code reflecting our engineering spirit, it’s an exciting team environment geared to fuelling and realising ambition. #LI-AK

Dyson is an equal opportunity employer. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make our technology so unique. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other any other dimension of diversity.