Design Engineering Manager

Orion Electrotech Ltd; Witney; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Orion Electrotech Ltd in Witney seeks an experienced Engineering Design Manager to lead the Engineering function, drive new product development from concept to production, and deliver commercial results in a high-performance manufacturing environment.

You will build a capable team, implement governance, optimise processes and ensure products are designed for manufacture, quality and performance while collaborating with Operations, Quality, Purchasing and Sales.

Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering, product development or R&D teams.
• Proven ability to deliver NPD from concept to production.
• Experience with design packages and document control.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of engineers to high performance.
• Own the NPD pipeline from brief to production release.
• Implement governance, resource planning and risk management.
• Ensure design for manufacture, quality, performance and commercial success.
• Oversee design governance, change control and documentation.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and suppliers to resolve issues.
• Drive continuous improvement and Right First-Time culture.
• Provide leadership across Engineering and Quality with KPIs.

Skills

Engineering leadership

NPD project delivery

Continuous improvement

People development

Governance

Tools

SolidWorks

PDM

Document control

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

• Proven leadership of engineering, product development or R&D teams without micromanagement.
• Strong background delivering NPD projects from concept through to production.
• SolidWorks experience would be advantageous but open to other design packages.
• Experience managing PDM and document control systems.

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.