The posting
Our manufacturing team develops and supports extrusion processes for plastic and medical tubing. The Senior Extrusion Engineer will lead technical activities across assigned extrusion operations and strengthen process capability to meet quality, output, cost anddelivery requirements.
This role suits an experienced extrusion engineer who can lead process development and validation, resolve complex technical problems and develop engineers and technicians. You will work closely with Production, Quality, Maintenance, engineering teams and equipmentsuppliers.
Role Purpose
Provide technical leadership for new and existing extrusion processes, including process plans, development trials, process windows, equipment qualification and production improvement. Serve as the technical subject matter expert for extrusion and coordinate actions tomaintain stable, capable manufacturing processes.
You will report to the Manufacturing Engineering Manager and guide extrusion engineers and technicians on technical priorities and methods. Partner with Production to support output and shipment commitments and with Quality to ensure products meet customer specifications and quality system requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Extrusion Process Development and Technical Leadership
· Develop and implement extrusion process plans and manufacturing methods that meet agreed cost, lead time,quality and system requirements.
· Lead process development, trials and process window studies for new and existing products. Evaluate material and process changes using systematic engineering methods anddocumented acceptance criteria.
· Establish and review critical process controls, including temperature and pressure conditions, tooling, sizing and downstream settings appropriate to the product and material.
· Lead complex extrusion troubleshooting and failure investigations. Define containment, corrective and preventive actions and verify that recurring problems are effectively resolved.
· Provide technical guidance ontubing dimensional control, equipment capability and process stability. Standardize proven methods across relevant products and production lines.
Validation Change Management and Risk Control
· Plan and lead process characterization, equipment validation and process qualification, including installation, operational and performance qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) as required.
· Coordinate qualification schedules and first article submissions with engineers, Production and Quality in accordance with customer requirements.
· Review protocols, process data, deviations and reports for technical adequacy. Ensure equipment, material and process changes receive appropriate risk assessment, qualification and siteapproval.
· Guide engineers in maintaining complete process, inspection and validation records, controlled specifications and standardized work instructions.
Continuous Improvement and Equipment Capability
· Lead improvements in yield, scrap, material use, uptime, OEE and manufacturing lead time. Prioritize projects using production losses, technical risk and expected business benefit.
· Evaluate and implement automation, drying ovens and downstream equipment such as cutting, coiling and leak testing systems. Define technical requirements, coordinate trials andverify production performance.
· Work with Maintenance tostrengthen preventive maintenance, spare parts planning and equipment reliability. Ensure extrusion machines, auxiliary equipment and work areas areproperly maintained.
Compliance and Audit Support
· Ensure assigned extrusion activities follow applicable ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 requirements, customer specifications and site quality procedures. Support audits and correctiveaction follow-up.
· Coordinate equipment and process safety reviews with the responsible teams. Verify safe operating methods, suitable housekeeping and action on identified equipment or workplacerisks.
Customer Supplier and Team Development
· Work closely with Quality andcustomer-facing teams on specifications, qualifications, first articlesubmissions and technical investigations. Communicate process risks andproposed actions clearly.
· Coordinate equipment andmaterial suppliers during evaluations, trials and issue resolution. Escalatecapability, delivery or compliance risks to the Manager.
· Develop technical training andcoaching plans for engineers and technicians covering process windows,validation, qualification, troubleshooting and evaluation of new materials andprocesses.
Reporting and Analytics
· Review extrusion performanceand emerging technical risks across assigned processes. Track output, quality,downtime, capability, validation milestones and improvement results.
· Present monthly technicalupdates with root causes, priorities, resource needs and action status. Verifythe effectiveness of implemented changes and share lessons with the team.
Qualifications
· Diploma in Engineering or arelated technical discipline. A Bachelor's degree in Engineering is preferred.
· Minimum 5 years of relevantexperience in plastic or medical tubing extrusion processes.
· Strong knowledge of extrusionequipment, process control, tooling, material behavior and the interactionbetween the extruder and auxiliary equipment.
· Demonstrated ability to leadprocess development, trials, process window studies, qualification andstructured technical troubleshooting.
· Experience with equipment andprocess validation, including IQ/OQ/PQ, technical documentation, processrecords and customer qualification requirements.
· Able to guide engineers andtechnicians, coordinate cross-functional actions and translate technicalfindings into practical manufacturing improvements.
Preferred Attributes
· Experience with medical tubing,tight dimensional requirements, ISO 9001 or ISO 13485 quality systems and firstarticle submissions.
· Experience evaluating newmaterials, extrusion automation, drying equipment, cutting, coiling or leaktesting systems.
· Experience using statistical process control, process capability analysis and design of experiments to establish or improve extrusion processes.
· A record of sustained improvements in extrusion quality, equipment reliability, productivity or manufacturing cost, supported by measured results.



