Manufacturing Innovation Engineer

About the Job

🎯 Manufacturing Innovation Engineer

🌍 London, UK

🏛️ Flexible working (4 days in our office, 1 day working from home)

💰 £45-55k per annum (depending on experience) + equity

Join Shellworks as a Manufacturing Innovation Engineer and help us pioneer the future of sustainable manufacturing by developing new processes, unlocking new regions, and building the foundations of in-house capability.

About Shellworks

Developed for a throwaway culture, plastics have caused significant pollution to our natural environments, with 90% of all plastics ever created never being recycled. More so, recent studies have identified that plastics impact goes beyond pollution to chemicals and microplastics that impact human and environmental health.

We believe there must be a better way, and our first innovation, Vivomer, does just that; if nature made plastic, this would be it. Vivomer, a polymer made by microorganisms, behaves just like plastic in use but degrades upon disposal in any natural environment. Developed through cutting-edge material science, mechanical engineering, design, and operations, Vivomer represents a groundbreaking step towards a packaging future that is pollution-free.

The nature of our work is frequently described as impossible, but if, like us, you’re driven by the challenge to prove that there is a better way to do things, join us. You will play a critical role in developing the future of materials, how products are created, and directly contribute to reducing plastic pollution.

The Opportunity

This is not about incremental optimisation — this is about building what doesn’t yet exist. As our Manufacturing Innovation Engineer, you will:

- Lead projects that explore and unlock new polymer processing and manufacturing methods—ranging from advanced moulding and extrusion techniques to innovative forming and assembly approaches—pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with our materials.

- Develop and validate manufacturing partnerships in new regions (e.g. the US) to expand our global capacity and resilience.

- Play a hands-on role in developing Shellworks’ in-house prototyping, piloting, and manufacturing capability, helping us establish a future-ready pilot and production base.

- Navigate technical ambiguity with confidence, taking ownership of projects where solutions are not obvious and the roadmap is uncertain.

- Act as a technical interface between Shellworks and co-manufacturers, ensuring innovative processes meet our standards for quality, cost, and scalability.

- Travel as needed to partner facilities, equipment suppliers, and trial sites to oversee, troubleshoot, and accelerate progress.

Our Ideal Candidate

- You have 4–5 years’ experience in manufacturing engineering with exposure to plastics and polymer processing, ideally across a range of techniques such as moulding, extrusion, forming, or assembly.

- You bring a mechanical engineering mindset with a strong grasp of process fundamentals, tooling, and machine design, coupled with the creativity and hands-on ability to prototype and validate machines and methods.

- You’re motivated by solving ambiguous, technically uncertain problems and can turn a rough concept into a proven manufacturing route.

- You thrive in a high-autonomy, fast-moving start-up environment — spotting opportunities, building structure from scratch, and moving projects forward without waiting for instruction.

- You’re a self-starter who learns quickly, whether it’s picking up a new process, getting to grips with a new machine, or navigating an unfamiliar regulatory landscape.

- You’re comfortable with travel and see it as a natural part of driving manufacturing innovation across geographies.

- Strong communication skills allow you to align internal and external stakeholders, even in challenging, highly technical discussions.

Benefits

🌴 25 days holiday plus all statutory and public holidays
📚 Opportunities for growth and development as we expand and scale our impact
🥼 Access to a fully kitted-out pilot line workshop (machine tools, injection moulder, extruders, blow moulders, etc.)
👍 Competitive salary and equity options
🎉 Regular social events and lunch provided daily
🐚 Part of a tightly-knit team aiming to make a meaningful social impact

Join Our Mission

Becoming a part of Shellworks means being part of a team that’s passionate about sustainability and innovation. Our world-class team includes experts in materials science, engineering, and visionary entrepreneurs dedicated to creating a better future. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible in manufacturing.