Design Engineering Manager

Orion Electrotech Ltd; Witney; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Orion Electrotech Ltd in Witney seeks an experienced Engineering Design Manager to lead our Engineering function through concept to production, delivering innovative products in a high‑performance manufacturing environment.

You will own the NPD pipeline, drive governance, develop people and improve processes to achieve best‑in‑class quality, cost and delivery performance.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of engineering, product development or R&D teams.
• Strong background delivering NPD projects from concept through to production.
• SolidWorks proficiency and experience with PDM and document control.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and quality improvement methodologies.
• Excellent planning, prioritisation and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a team of engineers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.
• Own and manage the NPD pipeline from initial brief through to production release.
• Implement effective project governance, resource planning and risk management processes.
• Ensure products are designed for manufacture, quality, performance and commercial success.
• Oversee engineering workflows, design governance, change control and documentation systems.
• Collaborate with manufacturing teams and suppliers to resolve technical challenges and improve performance.
• Champion continuous improvement, root cause analysis and a Right First-Time culture.
• Provide leadership across Engineering and Quality, driving KPIs, standards and operational excellence.

Skills

Leadership

NPD leadership

SolidWorks

PDM / document control

Manufacturing processes

Supplier development

Quality systems

Planning & stakeholders

Tools

SolidWorks

PDM

Job description

Lead Engineering Excellence in a Growing High-Performance Manufacturing Environment

We are seeking an experienced Engineering Design Manager to lead our Engineering function and drive the successful delivery of innovative new products from concept through to production. This is an excellent opportunity for a technically credible engineering leader who thrives in a hands-on manufacturing environment and enjoys developing people, improving processes and delivering commercial results.

Working closely with Operations, Production, Quality, Purchasing and Sales, you'll take ownership of the engineering roadmap, ensuring projects are delivered on time, to budget and to the highest quality standards. You'll create the structure, governance and leadership needed to enable engineering teams to perform at their best while continually improving processes and product performance.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead, coach and develop a team of engineers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.
• Own and manage the NPD pipeline from initial brief through to production release.
• Implement effective project governance, resource planning and risk management processes.
• Ensure products are designed for manufacture, quality, performance and commercial success.
• Oversee engineering workflows, design governance, change control and documentation systems.
• Collaborate with manufacturing teams and suppliers to resolve technical challenges and improve performance.
• Champion continuous improvement, root cause analysis and a Right First-Time culture.
• Provide leadership across Engineering and Quality, driving KPIs, standards and operational excellence.

What We're Looking For

You will be an accomplished engineering leader with experience in manufacturing, product development, R&D or NPD environments. You'll bring strong programme management skills, commercial awareness and the ability to lead experienced technical teams without micromanagement.

• Proven leadership of engineering, product development or R&D teams.
• Strong background delivering NPD projects from concept through to production.
• SolidWorks experience is critical, with the ability to support engineers when required.
• Experience managing PDM and document control systems.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and engineering best practice.
• Experience with supplier development and technical problem-solving.
• Knowledge of quality systems, root cause analysis and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent planning, prioritisation and stakeholder management skills.

Why Join?

This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine impact within a growing engineering business. You'll have the autonomy to shape engineering processes, develop talent, improve product delivery and influence the future direction of the organisation. If you're passionate about engineering leadership, continuous improvement and creating high-performing teams, we'd love to hear from you.