Manufacturing Engineering Year in Industry - Eastbourne September 2024

Our solutions are a key part of most industries - electronics, medical research, renewable energy, food production, infrastructure and many more. Working with us means working with the latest technologies and groundbreaking, sustainable innovations.

Join us on our journey for a better tomorrow.

If you’re passionate about manufacturing, science and engineering and want to get a head start in your career, then a Year in Industry placement at Edwards could be for you.

We’re looking for outstanding students, with questions that go beyond textbooks.  The world of vacuum and abatement is full of opportunities, and we can’t wait for you to explore it with us. 

We create some of the purest vacuum environments on earth for widescale use in industry and research.  We take pride in our globally recognised position as the leading technology partner and supplier of vacuum and environmental solutions that support our customers productivity and environmental targets.  Our caring culture and cutting-edge technology enable us to innovate for a sustainable future, and we believe that passionate people make it happen. 

One of our greatest strengths is the diversity of our workforce with people of all educational and cultural backgrounds working together.  We believe that talent and diversity is the key to success and that everybody should feel valued and able to reach their full potential, both in their development and their contribution to the business.  

What is the Year in Industry programme all about?

Vacuum is one of the hidden secrets behind many of the products you rely on every day. Edwards’ products enable scientific research, food preservation and the manufacture of smart devices as well as preventing the release of hazardous gases into the environment.  It’s a fast-moving market with new applications emerging all the time, so we’re looking for bright, innovative, and passionate people to join us.

Our Year in Industry programme provides students who are undertaking a relevant Engineering, Science or Operations Management degree at university the opportunity of supporting the Manufacturing team at Edwards in Eastbourne.  It’s an amazing insight into life inside an organisation that is growing and developing at an incredible rate.  The paid placement lasts for 12 months and is an exciting development opportunity starting in July 2023.  Here you can put the theory you have learnt in an academic environment into a practical application in the workplace.

You will be part of a specialist team responsible for developing and validating new technologies and strategies for vacuum pumps and the wider business.  The work could include technology evaluation, proof of concept solution development, testing and demonstration in the lab, writing test reports, creating procedures, participating in team meetings and supporting engineering activities on site.  The Operational aspect could include supporting the plan for business resilience in our future state, involved in enterprise resource planning (ERP) setup and building masterplans for Production here at Edwards Eastbourne. No part of Edwards stands still and as such is continually seeking new ways of working. Our continuous improvement program is active and engaging and always looking for new members to help support our future goals-a year in industry position would be well placed to be part of this team.

You’ll have regular progress reviews which will give you invaluable developmental feedback from your line manager, programme manager and the University (if applicable).  High performing individuals on the Year in Industry placement may be offered a position on the corresponding Graduate Programme following their final year at University.

Where would I work?

You will be based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, the site is easily accessible by public transport.

As part of our team, you'll be:

• Growing skills and experience in a technical environment enabling you to gain valuable business knowledge and influence and deliver important innovation projects to time and budget.
• Experiencing working within a truly global multidisciplinary organisation.
• Learning manufacturing processes and understanding our customers applications.
• Developing new innovative technologies and solutions for deployment in future products.
• Designing, testing and evaluating solutions and making suggestions for improvements.
• Writing technical reports and presenting results to team members and project sponsors.
• Gaining exposure to Intellectual Property, Engineering Processes and other disciplines.
• Taking ownership and responsibility for your own learning and development.
• Actively involved in the Early Careers community; you will also support the promotional activities for our Early Careers programmes.

Education:

You will currently be in your penultimate year of your undergraduate studies at University working towards a degree, achieving an average 2.1 or above, in one of these disciplines:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Electronic Engineering
• Physics
• Operations Management

Your skills, knowledge, and behaviours

• A genuine passion for working in a Scientific/Technical environment, with the ability to work with clients and internal stakeholders.
• a good understanding of principles of mechanical engineering and/or physics and ability to implement them to solve practical problems; or
• Curiosity, creativity and commitment to push the forefront of technology.
• Drive and desire to achieve professional accreditation.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to work effectively as part of a specialist team.
• Ability to apply technical knowledge to analyse problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Being un-biased and inquisitive is a key attribute to making quantitative change in a business and these attributes would be key in a role at Edwards

Please note the closing date for all applications will be the 1st July 2024

Diverse by nature and inclusive by choice
Bright ideas come from all of us. The more unique perspectives we embrace, the more innovative we are. Together we build a culture where difference is valued and we share a deep sense of purpose and belonging.