Engineering Manager

Bluebolt Recruitment; Staplehurst; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Bluebolt Recruitment seeks an Engineering Manager to lead a multidisciplinary engineering function onsite in Kent. The role combines hands-on leadership with strategic direction across Mechanical, Electronics and Software disciplines.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience in engineering management, strong product development know-how and the ability to drive reliability and cost-effective solutions in a complex environment.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in a multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Proven people-management experience including coaching and development.
• Strong product development lifecycle experience from concept to manufacture.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop multidisciplinary engineering teams across Mechanical, Electronics, Software and related disciplines, including recruitment and performance reviews.
• Oversee engineering delivery from concept through manufacture, ensuring quality, cost and schedule targets.
• Coordinate design reviews, decisions and risk mitigation across disciplines.
• Improve engineering processes, documentation and governance, embedding lessons learned.
• Collaborate with manufacturing on roadmaps, cost reduction and transition of products to production.

Skills

Engineering leadership

People management

Product development

Multidisciplinary engineering

Design reviews

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

We are seeking an Engineering Manager to work for a manufacturer of specialist engineered products and technical solutions for complex applications. With continued investment in manufacturing capability and product development, the organisation is entering a period of growth and is now seeking an Engineering Manager to lead its multidisciplinary engineering function based onsite in Kent.

Position Overview

The Engineering Manager will lead a multidisciplinary team spanning Mechanical, Electronics, Software and specialist technical disciplines, providing technical direction alongside hands-on people leadership. The role will oversee engineering activity from concept and design through qualification, manufacture and installation, ensuring solutions are technically robust, commercially viable and practical to produce.

This role will suit an experienced Engineering Manager or Head of Engineering who combines multidisciplinary leadership with strong product development expertise.

You will be comfortable remaining close to the engineering detail while building capability, improving processes and developing high-performing teams within a complex engineering environment.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead and develop multidisciplinary engineering teams across Mechanical, Electronics, Software and related technical disciplines, including recruitment, onboarding, one-to-ones, performance reviews, coaching and career development.
• Oversee engineering delivery from concept and design through qualification, manufacture and installation, ensuring requirements for quality, cost, schedule, safety and technical performance are met.
• Coordinate design reviews, technical decisions and risk mitigation across disciplines, ensuring products and systems are practical, manufacturable, serviceable and compliant with relevant standards.
• Improve engineering processes, documentation, configuration control and governance, embedding lessons learned and driving greater reliability, efficiency and development quality.
• Work closely with manufacturing and other functions on resource planning, technology roadmaps, innovation, cost reduction, bids, feasibility assessments and the transition of products from development into production.

Key Requirements

• Significant experience at Engineering Manager, Head of Engineering or equivalent level within a multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Proven people-management experience, including recruitment, performance management, coaching and team development.
• Strong product development and engineering lifecycle experience, from concept and design through verification, qualification and manufacture.
• Experience within complex engineering sectors such as defence, aerospace, scientific instrumentation, medical devices, electronics or other highly engineered products.
• A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Physics or a related technical discipline, alongside strong communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.

Key words: engineering manager design engineering manager design engineering lead R&D Manager research manager development manager mechanical design manager electrical design manager lead design engineer engineering director project manager