Flow Methods & Process Engineer

1. Role overview

The Flow Methods & Process Engineer provides the technical resources, methods, process expertise, standards and documentation required to optimise operational flows and manufacturing processes across the production and logistics areas of the Felgueiras plant. The role defines, maintains and continuously improves manufacturing processes, process parameters, layouts, physical and information flows, work-in-progress, internal inventory, packaging and system configurations. It ensures process capability, data consistency and controlled change throughout the serial production lifecycle, supporting safe, efficient, reliable and scalable operations. Working closely with Production, Logistics, Industrialisation, Technical Data and Quality, the engineer drives process and flow improvement plans, supports product and process qualification, manages process changes and captures lessons learned.

2. Proposed mission

Define, control and continuously improve manufacturing processes and operational flows throughout the serial production lifecycle. The Flow Methods & Process Engineer designs and optimises process parameters, production and logistics layouts, physical and information flows, packaging, work-in-progress and internal inventory; manages process changes and productivity plans; supports qualification, capacity planning and equipment ramp-up; and ensures compliance with safety, quality, cost, delivery and Group standards.

3. Main responsibilities

• Define, document, maintain and continuously improve manufacturing processes, operating methods, process parameters and associated standards throughout the serial production lifecycle.
• Manage and optimise the implementation of logistics and production areas, including layouts, storage zones, line-side locations, equipment interfaces and material-handling routes.
• Analyse and improve physical and information flows to reduce lead times, unnecessary movement, waiting, congestion, variability and operational risk.
• Manage process changes arising from product, quality, equipment or operational requirements, assess their impact, and ensure controlled implementation and documentation.
• Participate in product and process qualification, ensuring that process capability, flow, quality, safety, ergonomics and traceability requirements are met.
• Maintain and optimise process parameters, routings, work instructions, cycle times, labour standards and related master data.
• Configure or validate systems that support product and process flows, ensuring consistency between master data, routings, locations, packaging rules, process parameters and physical execution.
• Manage process productivity plans, including cycle-time and labour-time improvement initiatives, and monitor the delivery of expected benefits.
• Contribute to factory capacity planning by assessing process capability, cycle times, equipment utilisation, labour requirements, bottlenecks and flow constraints.
• Define appropriate levels of work-in-progress and internal product inventory in line with just-in-time principles, process stability and operational constraints.
• Design and improve packaging solutions in line with product, process, quality, ergonomic, transport and sustainability requirements.
• Conduct process and flow studies, observations, time-and-motion analyses, capacity assessments, line balancing and simulations to support operational decisions.
• Identify bottlenecks, process variation and root causes affecting safety, quality, cycle time, internal lead time, inventory, service, productivity or cost.
• Lead or participate in structured problem-solving activities, including 8D and process FMEA, and ensure that corrective actions and lessons learned are captured.
• Develop and manage process and flow improvement action plans with clear ownership, deadlines, indicators, risk controls and sustainable implementation.
• Contribute to industrialisation, product transfer, layout changes, new equipment, production capacity and ramp-up projects by providing process and flow expertise.
• Participate in product and process design reviews to ensure manufacturability and the early consideration of flow, handling, cycle time, packaging, storage, quality and data requirements.
• Support the installation, commissioning, qualification and ramp-up of new or modified equipment and processes.
• Develop visual management tools, standards and dashboards to support process control, performance monitoring and operational decision-making.
• Ensure that implemented solutions comply with safety, quality, ergonomic, environmental, product and operational standards.
• Support change management, training and adoption when new processes, flows, layouts, systems, standards or methods are introduced.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, including process descriptions, parameters, layouts, flow maps, routings, control requirements, work instructions and change records.
• Work with Production and Logistics teams to test, validate and stabilise process and flow solutions under real operating conditions.
• Coordinate with Industrialisation, Technical Data, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, IT and other stakeholders to resolve cross-functional process and flow issues.
• Benchmark methods, technologies and solutions, maintain professional expertise and share best practices across the Industrial Engineering community.
4. Performance indicators

• Safety, quality, delivery and cost indicators related to manufacturing processes and operational flows.
• Process capability and stability, and compliance with approved parameters and standards.
• Cycle time, labour time, productivity, and equipment or line utilisation.
• Internal product throughput time across the site, measured in hours.
• Work-in-progress and internal inventory levels against defined targets and just-in-time principles.
• Process-related defects, scrap, rework and recurring product or process issues.
• Delivery of process productivity, capacity and continuous improvement plans.
• Completion and effectiveness of process change and flow improvement action plans.
• Space, layout and storage capacity utilisation.
• Material flow productivity and the reduction of non-value-added movements.
• Data accuracy and consistency across process documentation, systems and physical execution.
• Sustained performance following qualification, ramp-up, or the implementation of process and flow changes.
5. Target recruitment profile

The ideal candidate is a structured, field-oriented industrial or process engineer who can translate product and operational requirements into capable manufacturing processes and practical flow solutions. The candidate combines process engineering fundamentals with direct shopfloor observation and understands production, equipment, quality and internal logistics constraints. They must be comfortable working with process parameters, qualification, cycle times, layouts, data, systems, work-in-progress, packaging, change control and improvement plans. Strong candidates demonstrate technical expertise in methods, analytical rigour, autonomy, team spirit and the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders from diagnosis through implementation and stabilisation.

Department: Supply Chain and Logistics
Function: Manufacturing
Experience Level: Not Applicable