Production Data & Automation Analyst (Graduate / Early Career)
Location: Swinton, Manchester (on site)
Department: Operations / Continuous Improvement
Reports to: IT & Continuous Improvement Manager
Hours: 37 hours per week
Base salary: £30,000 - £35,000 depending on experience
Join the Future of Manufacturing at Luxfer MEL Technologies
At Luxfer MEL Technologies, we develop advanced magnesium and zirconium materials used in industries ranging from healthcare to aerospace. We are looking for a graduate or early career professional from an engineering, science, or computer science background who enjoys solving problems, working with data, and creating practical digital solutions. This is not a typical "data analyst" role. You will work directly with production teams to improve real manufacturing processes, combining engineering thinking, data analysis, and hands on digital development.
The Role
You will be part of the Continuous Improvement team, supporting manufacturing performance through:
- Data analysis of plant performance
- Development of Power Apps used on the shopfloor
- Creation of Power BI dashboards to drive decisions
- Building models to understand and improve production processes
- Maintaining production data on SAP
What You'll Be Doing: Build Digital Tools (Power Platform)
- Design and develop Power Apps to capture and improve production data on the shopfloor
- Improve usability of systems used by operators and engineers
- Work with stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver practical solutions
Analyse Manufacturing Data
- Analyse operational data (yield, efficiency, cost, variance) from SAP and production systems
- Identify trends, issues, and improvement opportunities
- Translate data into actionable insight for production teams
Develop Reporting & Visualisation
- Create and maintain Power BI dashboards and data pipelines to automate reporting and improve visibility
- Support reporting cycles and continuous improvement initiatives
Model Production Processes
- Build and develop models of production processes to:
- Evaluate most cost efficient production routes
- Understand performance drivers
- Support troubleshooting and root cause analysis
- Improve response to process issues
Work with Production Teams
- Collaborate directly with operators, engineers, and chemists
- Understand real world manufacturing challenges
- Deliver improvements that have visible impact on cost, quality, and efficiency
Support Data & Systems
- Ensure production data is accurate and usable in SAP and related systems
- Support development of new products and processes through data and modelling
Why This Role is Different?
- Work on real industrial problems from day one
- Build tools that are used on the shopfloor, not just dashboards
- Develop a unique combination of engineering, data, and digital skills
- Gain hands on experience with Manufacturing processes; SAP ERP systems and Power Platform (Power Apps & Power BI)
- Be supported by experienced specialists across Engineering & chemistry, Data & analytics, IT & digital systems
What You'll Gain:
- Practical experience in manufacturing and process improvement
- Development of highly transferable skills in Data analysis, Automation & digitalisation, Process modelling & Stakeholder management
- A strong foundation for future careers in Continuous Improvement / Operational Excellence; Data & analytics; Digital transformation / Power Platform & Engineering or production leadership
What We're Looking For:
- Degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Chemistry / Materials Science, Maths / Physical Science, Computingor science
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills
- Curiosity and willingness to learn new tools and technologies
- Good communication skills and ability to work with non technical stakeholders
- and ideally, Experience or interest in Power BI or Power Apps, Excel, SQL, or Python with awareness of manufacturing or production environment and how data can improve real world processes
Working Pattern & Salary
- 37 hours per week
- Competitive graduate salary (aligned with experience)
- Training and development opportunities provided
As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. If you wish to request that your application be considered under the terms of our Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please explicitly state so in your CV and / or accompanying cover letter.