“Quality problems are the Quality Team's fault”.  “Why would we need to do things differently, we've done it like this for 30 years and it's worked”... Everyone who works in Quality has encountered challenges like this; needing to change the mindset of a long standing workforce that has no interest in changing.

To be honest, the prospect of going into that environment would send shivers down some people's spines.  They like the idea of walking into a world class manufacturing facility and maintaining an already smoothly running system and having it easy.  I actually reckon I could do that myself though so I really don't think it's the kind of role I'd want to recruit for.

This role is a far cry from what I've described above.  It has a workforce that's set in its ways. There is a need for real investment in people from the bottom up, and probably even some work on helping some of the mid-tier management team (production in particular) to see value in working to SOPs and focusing on quality as a collective unit, rather than palming it off on the Quality Manager & playing the blame game.  You'll be preparing for an audit next year and helping the company to implement a QMS that actually works to improve bottom line performance rather than just being a wall decoration.  Oh, and you’ll be looking after the transition from 18001 to ISO 45001 on the Health and Safety side of things as well.

Salary wise; I’d expect this to fall in the region of £50k - £55k for now, though there could be scope for growth in the role as your responsibilities grow.

If that sounds like an interesting challenge to get your teeth into then it could be the one for you.  Click below to apply for the role or get in touch for a chat on 0161 250 5326 and feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn too. Don’t worry if you don’t have an updated CV, we can deal with that further down the line.

Do you consider yourself to be someone who is driven by challenge? Do you have plans to grow with a business and work your way up the ladder?

Maybe you want to be involved in the entire project lifecycle from full cradle to grave.

If its all of the above, then this international business are looking to hire exactly that.

You’ll be required to design and engineer products that cost effectively meet customer requirements from initial brief, this will be done from scratch working with other team members to contribute ideas and solutions at the design stage.

You’ll be designing physical models using 3D software such as Inventor. As well as refine manufacturing drawings as per final product specification and work with the manufacturing team to optimise design for manufacture.

Majority of the time you’ll be using Inventor, therefore experience using this in the past is beneficial but not necessary as the business can send you on training courses to develop your skills and knowledge.

Oh, and the business turnover £6 Million annually,

The salary is expected to be around £37.5k with good progression within the business.

If this appeals to you, get in touch with Eloisa by dropping her an email to eloisa@optima-cs.com or giving her a call on 0161 250 5326. Don’t worry if your CV isn’t up to date, we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.

Want to be a part of a company that values the input of their employees and gives you the chance to grow and develop with the business?

If so, this varied role may pique an interest.

You’ll spend the majority of your time in the office to work closely within the existing design team to produce electrical schematics using AutoCAD Electrical.

On a day to day basis you’ll create Bill of Materials from AutoCAD libraries, design control panels from scratch, as well as working as a team using a structured way of working together following the same processes using bespoke machinery from conveyors to plant.

You’ll also collab with the Mechanical Design Engineer.

As you’ll be using AutoCAD Electrical majority of the time, having experience using this is a must or similar like Eplan and be confident working to design standards. Also, being up for sharing new ideas and improvements as the business are always open for new ideas.

The salary will be roughly £40k.

If this type of role is for you get in touch with Eloisa on 0161 250 5326. Don’t worry if your CV isn’t up to date, we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.

Are you ready to take that next step in your career and challenge yourself in planning, managing, and overseeing all project work?

It’ll be a varied opportunity, as no two days will be the same constantly keeping you busy whilst in work.

If so, the role is a split one with 70% being in office and the remaining 30% being out on site.

You’ll work closely with then Mechanical Design Engineers and Electrical Design Engineers. As well as working with Siemens and modifying and creating PLC software, you’ll investigate alternative components to help meet project timelines.

You’ll need experience using Siemens and AutoCAD Electrical and be able to write programs from scratch. However, if you need any additional training to help you in your professional development it can be provided.

The salary for this role is in the region of £45k.

Interested? Get in touch with Eloisa by dropping her an email to eloisa@optima-cs.com. Don’t worry if your CV isn’t up to date, we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.

How would you like a chance to be master of your own destiny & create your own career path?

Let’s be honest, there aren’t many companies that can offer that when it comes down to it.

Most of them probably say they have “growth plans”, but what does that really mean?  The number with the cash available to fund CAPEX is a fair amount smaller, with even fewer actually putting their hands in their pockets.  This one’s a little bit different…

A merger with a key customer at the end of 2022 has given them an opportunity to open out into new premises already, as well as securing their long term future with intercompany sales.  They still have the freedom to make their own decisions & do all the things that made them great in the first place, just with more money to invest in the growth of the company and its people.  Over time, they’re working to bring most of their manufacturing in house too.

All of that is positive for the company, obviously.  For you, you’ll have to balance the fact that any transition / growth phase can be challenging with any potential up sides of coming through the other side.  There’s every chance you could be running a Project team in a few years and taking a path to more senior leadership, but at the same time you might not feel totally comfortable with the “small company” mentality where everyone has to muck in a little bit to get things over the line. 

Initially, you’ll be managing multiple projects to the value of around £2m per year (a couple of big design and build projects with a scattering of “spares & parts” ones to keep you on your toes).  Your experience working in materials handling systems and large industrial plant equipment will come in really handy here.  The more commercial exposure you’ve had in the past, the better, because you’ll ideally be taking inbound enquiries all the way through to commissioning.  Being able to use Inventor/AutoCAD would be a big bonus in the sales & early design phases of the project, though I’d imagine you could function without that in the first place so it’s not a dealbreaker.

Salary wise, I’d expect this to fall in the region of £45k to start with, though there’s a commitment (and a track record, importantly) for reviewing performance and increasing salary as your time and influence in the business grows.

Give me a shout if it sounds like this could be worth fleshing out – 0161 250 5326.  Don’t worry if your CV isn’t up to date either, we can cross that bridge when we come to it.

Are you struggling to find a role where you can use your Electrical Design and PLC programming abilities?

Do you keep getting pigeonholed into one or the other?

I’m working with an offshore materials handling equipment manufacturer who are used to sub-contracting their Electrical Design and Controls work, and have often used different people to do this. They’re looking to bring that in-house now so it’s your chance to put your own stamp on the company and get things ticking.

If you’re able to produce designs using Eplan, and also have an ability to programme PLC’s (or at the very least modify) then this could be a good role for you. You’d be in a good position too, as they’d be willing to listen to your ideas on how to best run this section of the business. For example, if you don’t think Eplan would be the best package to use, they’d be open to change.

You don’t need to worry about actually manufacturing or building the control panels if that’s not your forte, as this is something they outsource anyway.

Salary wise you would be looking around 40k-50k, depending how fast you can adapt to the product, but this is something they’re willing to discuss further.

It’s quite a new role for this business, so they’re willing to be pretty flexible with it but it’s a great opportunity for you to come in and stamp your authority and help build the Electrical side of this business.

Feel free to get in touch if you’d like some more info on 0161 250 5326.

Do you want to work on challenging projects, forcing you to work from scratch every time?

Well, this role could be right up your street. You would be a controls engineer working full cradle to grave programming bespoke automated machines and robots, eliminating any need for human interface with the machines. 

As well as the programming side of things you would also be expected to carry the project right through to the commissioning stage, which will all be UK-based. The majority of the programming would be done using Siemens and/or Rockwell, but there’s the odd curveball thrown in so there’s a chance to learn new programmes whilst you’re at it. Also, each project will be in different industries and working with different products from gaskets for hydrogen to aerospace to pottery, so if you like a challenge then this role could be your next one. 

They embrace hybrid working, so when you’re doing documentation and software work that can be done at home, feel free, but obviously for the development and testing phases you’d be required on-site in Stockport.

As most of you will know in some companies the managers/directors are hard to catch.. not in this company, they are always in office to face the problems you may encounter and to help learn from mistakes so it definitely wouldn’t be a one man show. 

I hate this phrase, and cringe whenever I see it on a job advert, but the salary really does depend on experience with this one with the range being between £40k to £65k. For the upper end of that, you’d need to be bang on of course, but they’re fair with pay and hold pretty frequent salary and performance reviews.

If you think this role could be for you feel free to pop me a message or call on  0161 250 5326 .

How nice would it be to be trusted to manage your own time and your own diary?

Not only this, but this business offers the flexibility of hybrid working; 3 days in the office and 2 days at home.

In this Senior Electrical Engineer role, you’ll be required to lead a team of 3; mentoring and coaching them, whilst remaining hands-on yourself with a 50/50 split between leading and designing from scratch.

In this role, you’ll be designing from cradle to grave using Eplan and it would be beneficial if you have safety calculations experience, ideally using Aspal, but that can be taught, so don’t worry if not. You’ll be on site for around 10% of the time doing installation management.

Obviously, you’ll have a good level of experience as a hardware engineer, and having senior/lead experience would be a big plus, so if you’re a people person and you have leadership capabilities, this could be the ideal role for you.

On the technical side, Eplan is something that is essential to have as well as experience with Profinet & Profibus.

If this opportunity sounds promising, get in touch with Matthew on 0161 250 5326 for a chance to discuss the role further. Don’t worry if your CV isn’t up to date, we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.