As a Product Manufacturing Engineer, you will bridge the gap between R&D and production to scale sustainable packaging. Working in a small, high-impact team, you'll take products from prototype through validation to volume manufacturing, ensuring quality and performance while collaborating with international manufacturing partners to eliminate plastic waste globally.
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Product Manufacturing Engineer at Shellworks
Help Shellworks eliminate plastic waste by scaling Vivomer, a revolutionary compostable material that breaks down naturally. If you have 2-4 years of experience in polymer processing and want to work hands-on in a London-based lab while making a tangible environmental difference, this is your chance to own a critical piece of the sustainable packaging revolution.
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Location
London, United Kingdom
Compensation
£35k-£50k + Equity
Company
Shellworks
Role overview
Shellworks is a design-led techbio company developing plastic-free, compostable packaging materials and products to replace conventional plastics. The company cultivates high‑performance biomaterials in its lab using natural fermentation processes and plant or waste feedstocks, creating materials that are recyclable in the biological cycle and can safely break down in home or industrial composting environments.[1][2][3][4][5] Its flagship material, Vivomer, is a bio‑based, vegan, shelf‑stable and reusable alternative to plastic that contains no microplastics or toxic additives and is made and unmade by microbes.[1][3][4] Shellworks works with brands and manufacturers to deliver sustainable packaging solutions and other commercial products that match or exceed the performance of traditional plastic, aiming to demonstrate that large‑scale, plastic‑free innovation is commercially viable while significantly reducing environmental impact.[1][2][3][4][5]
What you will do
- Own the end-to-end product validation process, taking packaging designs from initial prototypes to high-volume manufacturing via injection moulding and extrusion.
- Manage technical relationships with outsourced manufacturing partners to ensure production meets strict cost, quality, and timeline expectations for global scaling.
- Implement robust quality measures and engineering change controls to streamline the development cycle across molecular biology, design, and operations teams.
Who this is a fit for
- Holds a degree in Materials Science or Mechanical Engineering with 2-4 years of experience in an industrial manufacturing or physical product development environment.
- Demonstrates deep technical proficiency in polymer processing technologies, specifically injection moulding, blow moulding, compounding, or extrusion for plastic packaging.
- Proficient in CAD software (Onshape or SolidWorks) and experienced in scaling products from prototype to high-volume FMCG production with a proactive, startup-ready mindset.
Why this role is remarkable
- Join a mission-driven Series A company scaling a proprietary, nature-inspired material (Vivomer) that naturally breaks down to replace harmful single-use plastics.
- Gain high-impact ownership in a small team of three, managing the critical transition from R&D prototypes to global mass production across the UK, EU, and US.
- Access a fully equipped on-site lab and pilot line workshop in London, offering a unique hands-on environment for technical innovation and material experimentation.
How Jack & Jill work together
I get to know what you’re great at, then find roles you’d never find yourself.Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.
I recruit from Jack’s network and make the intro when I spot a great match.And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.
Jack gets to know what you're great at and what you want next, then searches 15 million jobs daily and helps you discover roles at companies like this.
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What happens next?
Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and Shellworks wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.