Placement Student — Mechanical Engineer

CPI helps make great ideas and inventions a reality. We’re a team of intelligent people using advances in science and technology to solve the biggest global challenges in healthcare and sustainability.

Through our incredible people and innovation infrastructure, we collaborate with our partners in industry, academia, government, and the investment community to accelerate the development and commercialisation of innovative products.

From health technologies and pharmaceuticals to sustainable food and materials innovations, we turn the entrepreneurial spirit and radical thinking of our people and partners into incredible impact that makes our world a better place.

CPI has an exciting opportunity available for a Mechanical Engineering student to join us in supporting various crucial and exciting projects, within which you could help CPI to solve some of the biggest challenges the industry face. You will have the opportunity to help a variety of companies develop their ideas and processes so that they can be commercialised into successful products on the market.

Within the Operations Support team, you will gain experience through a wide diversity of reliability focussed projects developing and implementing maintenance and engineering practices across a wide range of machinery and supporting utility and other systems, appreciating how quality asset management standards are implemented in a modern R&D facility and appreciating the commercial implications of real-world engineering decisions. As an Engineering student you will have the opportunity to use your existing engineering and mathematical knowledge to analyse machinery reliability across CPI and as part of a multidisciplinary team, (or individually), you will support colleagues with the delivery of various ongoing operational and maintenance practices. The work will range from office-based studies of manuals (to understand how machinery operates), desktop reviews of maintenance and machinery operational history, though to work on the shop floor to study maintenance and operational practices, to holding interviews with operators, maintainers and (where appropriate) customers. These practices will develop you to be able to provide recommendations for improving machinery reliability, including investigating and solving complex problems which reduce reliability and help CPI constantly finding creative ways of working.

Full duties of the role and its associated responsibilities can be found in the job description.

Some exciting projects the team have worked on recently are:

Smart sensors
We have retrofitted some of our plant and technical equipment so that we have online data to help track utilisation, efficiency and improve our understanding of reliability. Improving our performance analysis of our plant and equipment helps us to assess risks and prioritise maintenance and engineering improvements to improve overall reliability, whilst ensuring our sites run as efficiently as possible. 

Condition-based Maintenance on steam plant
Various steam trap surveys have highlighted a number of leaks that are not visible in normal operation. Steam plant is expensive to operate so efficiency is a key focus to reduce or maintain operating costs. Reducing waste also helps reduce stress loads on the plant and ensure we have capacity to run critical equipment for key projects. The steam trap surveys revealed a significant amount of losses, which once remedial work was completed, provided a large reduction in operating costs. 

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who is currently studying a degree or masters in either Mechanical/​Electrical or Chemical Engineering (or similar) or Mathematics (or related) and is keen to learn more about developing and implementing various maintenance and engineering practices. 

You must be hardworking, driven and have a passion to learn more about engineering. This placement would suit students whose course includes a sandwich year in industry, or those able to take a placement opportunity in industry between academic years.

More information on the required experience and knowledge for the role can be found in the job description. 

At CPI, we offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, this includes:

• Up to 36 days holiday, including bank holidays – Plus a holiday purchasing scheme
• Generous pension scheme
• Life assurance and accident insurance schemes
• Flexible working
• Learning and Development Opportunities
• Free parking

Find out more about our culture and benefits.

This is a 12-month fixed-term role, starting July 2024.

Please note this role is ineligible for CPI’s Refer a Friend Scheme.

CPI is an organisation based in the UK. Commencement of employment is conditional to demonstrating right to work in the UK, sponsorship may be available.