Composites Manufacturing Engineer (KTP Associate)

Job Category: Technical

Fixed term: 25 months

Salary range: £42,000 to £46,000 per annum

Location: Pattern & Model Ltd, 4 Watling Drive, Sketchley Meadows, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 3EY

Birmingham City University are looking to appoint a high calibre graduate (graduated within the last five years) as a Composites Manufacturing Engineer KTP Associate).

This role presents an exciting opportunity to work in collaboration with leading academics at Birmingham City University, to apply knowledge and technical innovation, delivered on site at the company. The Composites Manufacturing Engineer (KTP Associate) should have a minimum 2.1 University qualification in a relevant subject area and graduated within the last five years. 

This Knowledge Transfer Project (KTP), is co-funded by a grant from Innovate UK and Penta Pattern & Model Ltd. It is therefore essential you understand the fundamentals of the KTP collaboration between a UK business and a University works to deliver benefits for each all (the company, the university, and the graduate) For more information please go to www.ktp.org.uk

Personal Training & Development Budget:

The Composites Manufacturing Engineer (KTP Associate) will have access to a wider range of benefits including a personal development budget of £4,166 to upskill during the project. 

The successful candidate will be employed by Birmingham City University, and seconded to work full-time onsite at Penta Pattern & Model Ltd to deliver the 25-month KTP project in partnership Birmingham City University and Penta Pattern & Model Ltd.  

Penta Pattern & Model Ltd:

The company (established in 1985) has established expertise in the manufacture of patterns, composite and carbon fibre moulds, components and tooling for prototype, pre-production, and production in several industries. They include Formula 1, automotive, aerospace, defence as well as luxury and bespoke artwork and design with several sculptors, artists, and interior designers across the globe. 

The company specialises in:

• Luxury Bespoke Furniture and Artwork 
• Composite Components and Tooling Precision 
• 5-Axis CNC Machining 
• Resin Casting 
• 3D Scanning Services 

For more information about Penta Patterns & Model Ltd, please go to: www.pentapatterns.co.uk

The successful candidate will have full access to Birmingham City University’s resources such as offices, labs, and library to complete the KTP project (a project workplan written with KPIs and outcome deliverables has been written)

The Composites Manufacturing Engineer (KTP Associate) will be supervised and mentored by both a lead academic and academic supervisor academics from BCU’s College of Engineering within the Faculty of CEBE as well as a company supervisor located at Penta Pattern & Model Ltd whose aim is to assist the Composites Manufacturing Engineer to deliver the knowledge into Penta Pattern & Model Ltd and successfully deliver the 25-month KTP project on behalf of Penta Pattern & Model Ltd and Birmingham City University. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Composites Manufacturing KTP Associate will work on:

• Company’s product range and manufacturing techniques for carbon-fibre
• Numerical analysis to optimise carbon-fibre products
• Manufacturing process optimisation for carbon-fibre products
• Documentation for UKCA, CE marking, and British Board of Agrément (BBA) approval to Building Regulations
• Recycling methods for carbon-fibre products and degradation of properties

The role requires the successful candidate to develop:

• Collaborations with the team to ensure timely delivery of the project milestones
• Design and numerical analysis protocols to optimise carbon-fibre product performance
• Manufacturing process optimisation strategies to save costs
• Standardized approval documentation for commercial use of load-bearing carbon-fibre products
• Effective recycling methods for carbon-fibre products

The Composites Manufacturing KTP Associate will be expected to interact with the senior management, design team suppliers and clients of the company as well as BCU academics. 

The Composites Manufacturing KTP Associate must also be adept at applying their knowledge to commercial projects, driving value and making an impact where possible, with an ability to solve problems and create innovative solutions.

The Composites Manufacturing KTP Associate must have the following key attributes to ensure the project’s successful completion.

Skills and Experience: 

The Composites Manufacturing KTP Associate will hold a relevant degree. This might be a first degree (equivalent to a first class or 2:1 honours) in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Design, Composites Engineering, a Master’s degree in a similar discipline is acceptable.

Essential:

• A minimum 2:1 undergraduate qualification in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Design/Composites Engineering. 
• Excellent communication skills to express ideas effectively, orally, graphically and in writing to articulate complicated matters between the academics and the company project team members
• An ability to work to tight deadlines with diligence, attention to detail, and maintain high standards of work
• An ability and aptitude to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team; and self-management and planning skills to make optimum use of time
• Strong leadership skills in successfully implementing and embedding new innovations within a company or organisation
• Project management
• Using CAD packages, e.g., SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor
• Practical implementation of sensors/actuators
• Using engineering tools, e.g., ANSYS, MATLAB, Excel
• Setting up experiments for validation
• Creating training materials and delivering staff training
• Technical writing, e.g., test plans, reports
• Commercial awareness and sensitivity

Desirable:

• Systems thinking
• MSc/PhD in a related subject or relevant experience 
• Collaborating with external clients
• Experience with ISO 9000
• Academic acumen to enable successful reporting through research publications in academic journals and marketing/training materials
• A clean driving license and a willingness to travel to utility contracts throughout the UK
• Practical experience of working in the manufacturing industry.

On a personal note, the Associate should be enthusiastic, motivated, punctual, conscientious, trustworthy and work well within a team. 

For further information please contact Javaid Butt at Javaid.butt@bcu.ac.uk or Houman Alipooramirabad at Houman.Alipooramirabad@bcu.ac.uk

Interviews to take place w/c 31st March 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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Come and be a part of the team.

Please click the below link to download the Job Description:

JOB DESCRIPTION

About Us

At the heart of our Strategy for 2030 and Beyond, it is our mission to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK’s second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio.

Apply Before: 16/03/2025, 23:59