About the Job

🎯 Senior Manufacturing Engineer

🌍 London, N4

🏛️ Flexible working (4 days in our office, 1 day working from home)

💰 £50-60k per annum (depending on experience) + equity

Join Shellworks as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer and help us materialise a better future by eliminating plastic packaging pollution.

About Shellworks

Developed for a throwaway culture, plastics have caused significant pollution to our natural environments with 90% of all plastics ever created never being recycled. More so, recent studies have identified that plastics' impact goes beyond pollution to chemicals and micro-plastics that impact human and environmental health.

We believe there must be a better way and our first innovation Vivomer does just that; if nature made plastic this would be it. Vivomer, a polymer made by microorganisms, behaves just like plastic in use but degrades upon disposal in any natural environment. Developed through cutting-edge material science, mechanical engineering, design, and operations, Vivomer represents a groundbreaking step towards a packaging future that is pollution-free.

The nature of our work is frequently described as impossible, but if like us, you’re driven by the challenge to prove that there is a better way to do things, join us. You will play a critical role in developing the future of materials, how products are created and directly contributing to reducing plastic pollution.

About the role

This is a unique opportunity to work on scaling the future of sustainable packaging materials. As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Shellworks, you'll help bridge the gap between our innovative material science and full-scale manufacturing capabilities. You'll bring both strategic thinking and technical expertise to our growing operations, collaborating closely with our multidisciplinary team.

Your responsibilities

Manufacturing engineering

• Lead the scaling and productionisation of our processes with manufacturing partners, ensuring products meet cost, quality, and timeline expectations

• Manage production and process development projects for new products

• Implement best practices and develop robust quality programmes to maintain high standards

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimise production efficiency, material usage, and cycle times

Technical leadership

• Serve as the technical interface between design, engineering, supply chain, operations, suppliers, and customers

• Collaborate on innovative projects across molecular biology, mechanical engineering, product design, and operations teams

• Apply data analysis and documentation to improve processes and reduce waste

• Provide technical guidance and support to manufacturing partners

Partnership management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with production partners

• Negotiate effectively on both operational and commercial terms

• Collaborate with manufacturing partners to resolve production challenges

• Hold external manufacturers accountable to quality standards and timelines

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in an industrial manufacturing environment, with emphasis on polymer processing (injection molding, blow molding, compounding, or extrusion)

• Experience scaling production from prototype to higher volumes

• Degree in a relevant engineering discipline (materials science, mechanical engineering, etc.)

• Demonstrated ability to manage outsourced production partnerships

• Strong problem-solving skills with a hands-on approach

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Self-motivated with the ability to work effectively in a high-autonomy startup environment

Preferred experience

• Knowledge of both in-house and outsourced FMCG production

• Experience with continuous improvement methodologies

• Exposure to sustainable materials or biomaterials

• Understanding of technical documentation and quality control systems

• Experience in both large manufacturing organisations and smaller, dynamic settings would be hugely beneficial.

What we offer

• 🌴 25 days holiday plus all statutory and public holidays

• 📚 Opportunities for growth and development as we expand and scale our impact

• 🥼 Access to a fully kitted out on-site lab and pilot line workshop

• 👍 Competitive salary and equity options

• 🎉 Regular social events and fully stocked office kitchen

• 🐚 Part of a tightly-knit team making a meaningful impact on plastic pollution

Join our mission

Becoming a part of Shellworks means joining a team passionate about sustainability and innovation. Our world-class team includes experts in materials science and visionary entrepreneurs dedicated to creating a better future. Together, we're redefining what's possible in sustainable packaging.