Polyurethane Production Engineer

Scottish Leather Group; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading leather manufacturer is seeking a Polyurethane Production Engineer to join their team in Glasgow. This role involves developing and maintaining moulding processes, troubleshooting production issues, and collaborating with engineers on new product introductions. Ideal candidates possess a degree or equivalent experience, along with a background in polyurethane manufacturing. The company offers a range of benefits including health programs, training opportunities, and a commitment to sustainability.

Benefits

Enhanced annual leave

Health and wellbeing program

Employee Assistance Programme

Life assurance

Cycle to work scheme

Free on-site parking

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering or equivalent experience required.
• Experience in polyurethane or similar manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with CAD or CAE technologies is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Polyurethane moulding processes.
• Optimize and troubleshoot production methods.
• Collaborate with engineers on new product introductions.

Skills

Polyurethane manufacturing experience

Chemical formulation knowledge

Project management skills

Root cause analysis (RCA)

Basic CAD/CAE knowledge

Education

Appropriate degree qualification or equivalent

Job description

We are recruiting a Polyurethane Production Engineer to join our growing team at an exciting early stage. This is a highly varied role, which is critical in our growth into this market, with regular UK travel to learn industry best practice and apply that knowledge directly. You will work closely with the Head of BioFoam to help establish and scale manufacturing operations in Glasgow. In addition, you will initially run moulding machines and ancillary trimming operations; and support R&D and volume production across all market sectors (Aviation, Mass‑Transit, Automotive and Custom / Consumer Products). There is a key focus on developing, maintaining and validating our polyurethane BioFoam moulding processes to meet safety, quality, cost and delivery requirements. This will involve troubleshooting production issues, optimisation of parameters and controls to ensure cost efficiencies, and managing new product introductions – working closely with our business partners.

This opportunity suits a proactive self‑starter who enjoys learning, problem‑solving and working independently. Spanning both engineering and operations, the role offers significant influence from day one and is ideal for candidates with an engineering, operations or production engineering background who are ready to take the next step in their career.

To be successful you will need:

• Appropriate degree qualification (or equivalent industry experience)
• Experience within polyurethane or similar manufacturing environment
• Experience of appropriate chemical formulation and machinery management
• Experience of overseeing manufacturing operations
• Knowledge of root cause analysis (RCA), corrective action / preventative action (CAPA)
• Basic understanding of CAD or CAE
• Experience of project management

Key accountabilities

• Development and maintenance of robust, repeatable Polyurethane moulding processes plus ancillary trimming operations.
• Process optimisation; setting up and optimizing moulding equipment/process to improve in‑house capabilities
• Troubleshooting; methodically investigating and resolving production defects (e.g. voids, porosity, flash or density discrepancies)
• New Product Introduction; working closely with our engineering partners to support the design and commissioning of new moulds, testing materials and finalizing process parameters
• Documentation; developing and maintaining robust work instructions, technical manuals and standard operating procedures
• Quality and Safety; ensuring operation compliance to our aviation CAA Part 21G certification, AS9100 / IATF16949 / ISO9001 standards and ensuring operational safety protocols conform to ISO 45001.
• Collaboration; cross‑functional working with our Process and Product Engineers
• Training: assist in the development of training and provide training to production operatives as we further grow our team in line with our five‑year revenue and sales strategy.

About Scottish Leather Group

At Scottish Leather Group, we produce the world’s lowest carbon leather due to our passion for leading sustainable manufacturing practices, continuous innovation, and outstanding services. In 2025, we successfully launched Muirhead BioFoam and are now opening a new manufacturing facility in Glasgow.

Our People

At Scottish Leather Group, we make it personal. We recognise that the uniqueness of everyone who works for us, contributes to our success and resilience. We believe in equality, diversity, and inclusion and welcome individuals from all backgrounds to consider a rewarding career with us. By joining us you will be embarking on an exciting career, where we will help you achieve your professional goals and encourage you to reach your full potential.

Our Values

Scottish Leather Group desires to establish the highest industry standards for quality, innovation, value, service, and care for the environment whilst upholding our Company values: promises kept; creativity at heart and excellence as standard.

Our Portfolio

We are the largest leather manufacturer in the United Kingdom and employ over 700 employees globally! Our specialist leathers are produced for a wide range of industries, including automotive, aviation, bus & coach, rail, furniture, and custom projects. We partner with hundreds of prestigious brands in more than 60 countries. Our customers include the likes of Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Polestar, Lucid, Emirates Airlines, Boeing, and Philips.

Company Benefits

• Company sick pay
• Enhanced annual leave entitlement (increases with length of service)
• Health and wellbeing programme
• Employee Assistance Programme – including access to a private GP service and much more
• Life assurance
• Cycle to work scheme and Electric Vehicle schemes
• Employee coaching programme
• Additional training and development opportunities
• Free on‑site parking
• Access to a range of store discounts