Pirelli is an international group with a global brand presence, and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high performance tyres. Pirelli are also leaders in various forms of motorsport such as Formula 1 and the World Superbike. We supply tyres to many of the world’s major Motor brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche, Range Rover, Lamborghini, Bentley and Aston Martin to name a few. Pirelli UK Tyres Ltd is the company responsible for all of the Pirelli Tyre related operations in the UK. For more information please visit www.pirelli.co.uk

A 12 month placement is available within our Research and Development Department. As a member of the R&D Process team, you will be involved in all aspects of process developments and improvements at a technical level in component manufacturing. You will also become familiar with the extrusion, calendering & cutting processes, equipment and software’s. You will also support the process technicians in the day to day development activities and also update process recipes and be involved in all aspects of improvement projects

A project will be identified during the placement and a mentor to provide support in learning and development. Assistance will be provided in finding appropriate accommodation, but financial assistance for accommodation will not be given. Student must have a valid work permit/visa for the UK.

The opportunity is based at our site in Carlisle, Cumbria.

Main duties include:

• Assist product development engineers in the development of new tyre specifications consisting of results analysis, tyre design using internal tyre design software, post processing of tyre section analysis after the prototype build and preparing of specifications for production where required
• Working with the prototype build team to optimise the building of the tyres for builds that you will be involved with
• Involvement in requesting tests for both indoor and outdoor tyre testing
• Project management of all types of tyre development projects using PLM (Project Lifecycle Management) software, including project timing analysis and milestone tracking, collaborating with local tyre developers and across the Pirelli group to do this
• Import operations for materials used for prototype buildings
• Export operations for prototype tyres to undertake indoor and outdoor testing in other UK locations and across the world
• Development of software specifications designed to improve the product development operation, then work with the Smart Manufacturing team to get them developed to the specification and implemented into the department
• Supporting in significant tyre mould tooling updates project. This will involve supporting in organizing of tooling to be sent for modification, checking of technical drawings, inspection of the job done and moving through into sign off of the changes
• Development of machine tooling and components through rapid prototyping using 3D printers

Student insight on the role:

I have really enjoyed my time at Pirelli, and I am excited to go back to university equipped with plenty of new soft, hard and personal skills.

The fast-paced nature of this role has required me to be very organised in terms of what jobs I have to do.

Discipline is something which I always struggled with at university, having a strict routine every day really helped me this year. I became more focused at work, and it improved my mental and even physical health. Having to be in a certain place (the office) at a certain time every day was massively beneficial.

Communication is a skill that I have been forced to improve in this year, as the role demands it. Being able to communicate effectively with a wide range of personalities in this role is vital. Whether verbally in-person, on the phone, or in a Teams call, or written communication in emails and Teams messages, knowing how to get what you need from different people is a very important skill in this role.

I was able to utilise my excel skills to improve my data visualisation and analysis. There was plenty of opportunity for data analysis during my time at Pirelli, namely comparing different revisions of tyre specification, specifically their cross-section measurements.

I have also been involved in app and software development to help improve the prototype building process as well as learning a lot about the technical tyre development and the process of engineering tyres. This consisted of going through the process of fault finding, re-engineering, requesting testing and analysing testing results to then feed back into the development process for the next time round to ultimately improve the performance of the tyre specification.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time here at Pirelli and would thoroughly recommend any student considering applying for this role to do so. The office environment is fun and friendly, and the company are very supportive and treat their workers very well. The work isn’t always easy, but is challenging and rewarding, and is a great introduction to the working world. I think this role has been very helpful in shaping me into a better engineer and has developed many skills which I’m sure will be of great benefit to me in my future education and subsequent career.

Education and professional backround:

• Undertaking an engineering or science degree
• Experience within a manufacturing / automotive environment desirable
• Skilled in data analysis and interpretation

Professional and personal aptitudes (essential):

• Effective communicator, able to establish and maintain relationships at all levels
• Resilient, flexible and adaptable in approach
• Effective problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Forward thinking and proactive approach to work, with excellent planning and organisation skills
• Open to new ways of working and embracing of change
• Team player – willing to share information and learn from others
• Able to demonstrate accountability
• Excellent IT skills

Employee benefits include:

• 33 days holiday per year (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Pension scheme with linked life insurance
• Employee discount scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Discounted tyre vouchers

The successful candidate must, by the commencement of employment, have the right to work in the UK. 

Applications close 31.12.2025.