Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Paint

About the role

Lotus UK Manufacturing is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Paint to lead the development, optimisation and continuous improvement of paint manufacturing processes at its state‑of‑the‑art facility in Hethel. The role combines technical ownership of paint application lines with support for new model introductions and ongoing production excellence.

Key responsibilities

• Lead development, optimisation and continuous improvement of paint processes to maximise quality, efficiency, throughput and equipment reliability.
• Provide technical ownership of pretreatment, e‑coat, primer, basecoat, clearcoat and associated curing systems.
• Support new model introductions, engineering changes and product launches, ensuring processes are validated and introduced successfully.
• Specify, procure, commission and validate new paint equipment, managing supplier interactions, FAT and SAT.
• Investigate and resolve paint process and product quality issues using structured problem‑solving methods.
• Analyse and reduce paint defects such as dirt inclusions, runs, sags, orange peel, adhesion failures, colour variation and surface‑finish concerns.
• Develop and maintain Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEAs, Control Plans, SOPs and other documentation in line with APQP and PPAP requirements.
• Plan, conduct and evaluate paint material and process validation activities, including performance testing for stone‑chip resistance, adhesion, humidity, chemical and thermal durability.

Required profile

• Proven experience in a high‑volume automotive OEM paint environment.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and ability to drive continuous improvement.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with a structured methodology for root‑cause analysis.
• Experience managing equipment specification, procurement, commissioning and acceptance testing.
• Familiarity with APQP, PPAP, PFMEA and statistical process control.

Required skills

• Pretreatment, e‑coat, primer, basecoat and clearcoat application processes.
• Curing systems and related equipment.
• Equipment specification, FAT/SAT, supplier management.
• Root‑cause analysis and corrective‑preventive action implementation.
• Process Flow Diagram and PFMEA creation.
• Control Plan development and maintenance.
• APQP and PPAP documentation.
• Paint performance testing (stone‑chip, adhesion, humidity, chemical, thermal).
• Statistical analysis of process capability.