Senior Industrial Engineer

About the role

Lotus UK Manufacturing is seeking a Senior Industrial Engineer to join its Operations team at the state‑of‑the‑art facility in Hethel. The role leads industrial engineering activities across current and future vehicle programmes, shaping headcount planning, capacity modelling and manufacturing cost definition.

Key responsibilities

• Lead direct labour definition for new vehicle programmes from concept through to production approval.
• Define and agree Hours per Unit (HPU) targets with Finance and track performance.
• Participate in manufacturing workstreams supporting make‑vs‑buy decisions and DFMA strategy.
• Support virtual build events, defining operator allocation, conducting time studies and validating capacity.
• Own headcount planning processes, including manpower glide‑paths and labour distribution.
• Develop and maintain capacity models aligned with production volumes and programme timing.
• Validate minimum‑car impact for engineering changes and ensure correct cost allocation.
• Lead time‑study activities and drive waste‑reduction and efficiency plans.
• Mentor team members in industrial engineering methods and tools.
• Support manufacturing engineering with line layout planning, line balancing, plant rebalancing and speed adjustments.
• Promote a continuous‑improvement culture across manufacturing engineering and production.

Required profile

• HNC/HND/Degree in Industrial, Mechanical or Automotive Engineering.
• Proven industrial engineering experience in a production environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Desirable experience in OEM or niche vehicle projects.
• Familiarity with AutoCAD or CATIA.
• Knowledge of performance rating and time‑and‑motion study methods (MODAPTS, MTM).

Required skills

• Microsoft Excel
• AutoCAD
• CATIA
• MODAPTS
• MTM