Junior Industrial Designer - DFM

Zero Surplus - Sales Industry Insight & Talent Strategy; Harlow; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Zero Surplus - Sales Industry Insight & Talent Strategy in Harlow is seeking a Junior Product Development Engineer to support the R&D team. You’ll assist in turning concepts into build-ready designs, prototypes, and specifications, with exposure to IEC/UL standards and global markets.

The role emphasizes learning, craftsmanship in DFM, and a clear path to a full Product Development Engineer role. On-site based at the Harlow HQ with potential overseas supplier liaison as you progress.

Qualifications

• A degree in product design or industrial design is preferred.
• BA is acceptable if commitment to engineering over concept design is shown.
• Mechanical engineering may be considered for the role.

Responsibilities

• Prototype and 3D-printed models, drawings and specs for quotation and manufacture.
• In-house testing, external lab liaison for certification and sample evaluation.
• Own the NPI timeline for your products and participate in reviews.
• Work with suppliers, packaging, quality and technical teams; potential overseas visits.
• Design for manufacture with focus on cost, quality and launch deadlines.

Skills

SolidWorks

3D CAD

Attention to detail

Team player

Deadline driven

Education

BSc in product design or industrial design

BA in engineering design

Mechanical engineering degree considered

Job description

We're working with a leading design-led brand in the luxury interiors sector to find a Junior Product Development Engineer for their R&D team. A British business founded in the late 1990s, they now sell in over 90 countries with subsidiaries in the US and Asia. Everything they make is designed in-house and manufactured through a global supply chain, and this is the role that takes a product from an approved concept to something that can actually be built.

This is a genuine entry point into product engineering, open to graduates and to people with up to two years' experience, with a clear path to a full Product Development Engineer role.

The Role

Reporting to the Internal Product Development Leader, you'll learn to engineer products from concept handover through to Tool Proof Sample approval, working to IEC and UL standards for the UK, EU, MEA, APAC and North American markets. You'll start by supporting the experienced engineers in the team and take on your own products as you build up.

In practice, that covers prototyping and 3D-printed models, engineering drawings and specifications for quotation and manufacture, in-house testing, liaison with external test labs for certification, and sample evaluation reports back to the factories. Over time, you'll take on the NPI timeline for your own products, calling the concept handover, engineering and compliance reviews, and flagging anything that threatens the seasonal launch dates.

You'll work closely with suppliers, the packaging, quality and technical teams, and the supplier liaison managers in the China office. As you develop, there's scope to visit manufacturers overseas.

This is design for manufacture rather than concept design. There is no concept development in this role. The creative thinking goes into solving how something gets made to a very high standard, at the right cost, within a launch deadline. If you want to be the person sketching the product in the first place, this isn't that job.

Compliance is also a real part of the week, not a footnote. IEC, UL and the various market directives sit behind every decision you make, so you need to be comfortable working within them rather than seeing them as an obstacle.

The role is based full-time at the Harlow HQ for the duration of your probation, so you'll need to live within a sensible commute or be willing to relocate.

What We're Looking For

• A degree, ideally a BSc in product design or industrial design
• A BA is fine, but you'll need to be genuinely committed to an engineering career rather than concept design, as this role is purely DFM
• A mechanical engineering degree will also be considered alongside six months to two years in a product design or industrial design role
• Anywhere from zero to two years' experience: recent graduates are welcome to apply
• SolidWorks, or a strong grounding in 3D CAD and the appetite to get up to speed quickly
• An interest in how things are made, and in manufacturing processes such as extrusion, die casting, injection moulding, pressing, fabrication and glass
• An understanding of product testing and why it matters
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Comfortable in a team, able to give and take constructive feedback
• A professional approach to deadlines
• Able to work full time at the Harlow office through probation, so local or able to relocate

Also useful, though not essential:

• Any exposure to lighting, or to the relevant standards
• Placement year or industry experience in a design or engineering environment
• BIM file creation, photometric data or Change Order processes

Why This One

• A proper training ground: you'll learn DFM from engineers who do it every day
• Strong long-term career prospects, with a clear route to full Product Development Engineer and beyond
• Real variety of materials and processes across a premium product range
• Direct contact with manufacturers, including overseas travel as you progress
• A design-led business where quality is taken seriously at every level
• Full-time, Harlow-based, competitive salary and benefits