Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Process Planning & CAD

Salary: £50,000 – £55,000 depending on experience Location: Aylesbury Aerospace Precision Engineering | Gibbs Gears Precision Engineers Ltd | Aylesbury Gibbs Gears Precision Engineers Ltd is a specialist aerospace and precision engineering business, manufacturing high-accuracy gears, splines, shafts and complex transmission components for demanding customers in aerospace, defence and high-performance engineering sectors. We are looking for an experienced Senior Manufacturing Engineer / Production Engineer to support the development and industrialisation of new and existing components. This is a key role within our Engineering team, focused on turning complex customer drawings into practical, controlled and repeatable manufacturing processes. The Role The successful candidate will be responsible for reviewing customer drawings, developing manufacturing routes, creating stage drawings and CAD models, defining tooling and workholding requirements, and supporting production through NPI and first manufacture. In simple terms, this role works out how we are going to make the part and ensures the shop floor has the correct engineering information to manufacture it successfully. Key Responsibilities • Interpret complex aerospace engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, material requirements and special process requirements. • Develop manufacturing routes and operation sequences for precision machined components. • Support Production Readiness Studies and identify technical, quality and process risks before release to production. • Create and maintain stage drawings, manufacturing drawings and 3D CAD models. • Define tooling, workholding, fixtures, gauges, consumables and outside process requirements. • Support CNC turning, milling, gear cutting, gear grinding, heat treatment, plating and inspection process planning. • Work closely with Engineering, Production, Quality, Planning and Purchasing to ensure jobs are production-ready. • Support NPI, first-off manufacture, process prove-out and continuous improvement activities. • Maintain accurate manufacturing data within the ERP system. The Ideal Candidate We are looking for someone with a strong manufacturing engineering background, ideally gained within aerospace, defence, motorsport, gears, transmission components or high-precision machining. You should have: • Strong ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings and GD&T. • Good understanding of CNC turning, milling and precision machining processes. • Experience creating manufacturing routes, process plans and stage drawings. • CAD experience, ideally SolidWorks. • Knowledge of tooling, fixtures, workholding, gauges and manufacturing consumables. • Awareness of special processes such as heat treatment, plating and subcontract operations. • Good spreadsheet, ERP/MRP and project tracking skills. • A practical, hands-on engineering mindset with strong problem-solving ability. Experience with gear cutting, gear grinding or aerospace FAIR / AS9100 environments would be a strong advantage. Why Join Gibbs Gears? This is an opportunity to join a growing aerospace precision engineering business with strong technical capability, significant investment in machinery and systems, and a clear focus on developing robust, repeatable manufacturing processes. The role will suit someone who enjoys being close to the product, the process and the shop floor — not just working behind a desk. £50,000 – £55,000 depending on experience