Lead Engineer - Body Components CAE

McLaren Automotive Ltd; Old Woking; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Private medical insurance

Enhanced pension scheme

Discretionary annual bonus

Life assurance

Sabbatical option

Wellbeing programme

Job summary

McLaren Automotive is seeking a Lead Engineer - Body Components CAE to take technical ownership of virtual development for interior and exterior body components across McLaren vehicle programmes. This hands-on role focuses on delivering robust CAE solutions that support right-first-time designs and vehicle development.

You will develop methodologies, supervise correlation with physical testing, and collaborate with Design, Manufacturing and external suppliers to ensure high quality results that

Qualifications

• Strong experience in automotive CAE focused on interior and/or exterior body components.
• Expertise in structural simulation techniques including linear and nonlinear FEA, static and dynamic analysis.
• Experience delivering components against multiple attribute requirements.

Responsibilities

• Take technical responsibility for the CAE development and validation of all interior and exterior body components across McLaren vehicle programmes.
• Define, maintain, and improve simulation methodologies for body component development with accuracy and efficiency.
• Use simulation-driven engineering to identify risks early and deliver optimized designs with minimal changes.
• Utilise first-principles engineering and simplified models to guide design decisions and CAE efficiency.
• Support and interpret component and vehicle test results, ensuring robust correlation with simulations.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering, Attribute Teams, Manufacturing, Materials and Vehicle Integration.

Skills

Automotive CAE

Linear/Nonlinear FEA

Static/Dynamic analysis

Durability assessment

Stiffness/strength eval

Component optimisation

Multi-attribute requirements

Supplier management

Stakeholder communication

Tools

FEA tools

Job description

At McLaren Automotive, every interior and exterior component contributes to the overall vehicle experience. Whether enhancing stiffness under aerodynamic loads, delivering premium quality, achieving weight targets, or ensuring durability over a vehicle's lifetime, body components must perform flawlessly while integrating seamlessly into the wider vehicle architecture. We are seeking a Lead Engineer - Body Components CAE to take technical ownership of the virtual development of all interior and exterior body components across McLaren vehicle programmes. This is a hands‑on technical role focused on delivering robust, efficient, and attribute-balanced CAE solutions that support right‑first‑time component and vehicle development.

What You’ll Do – Lead Body Components CAE Delivery

• Take technical responsibility for the CAE development and validation of all interior and exterior body components across McLaren vehicle programmes.
• Integrate Multi-Attribute Requirements
  • Ensure body component designs meet the requirements of all relevant vehicle attributes, including:
    • Durability
    • NVH
    • Passive Safety
    • Quality and Perceived Quality
    • Manufacturing and Assembly
• Develop Robust CAE Methodologies
  • Define, maintain, and continuously improve simulation methodologies for body component development, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and correlation with physical testing.
• Support Right-First-Time Engineering
  • Use simulation-driven engineering approaches to identify risks early and deliver optimised component designs with minimal late-stage design changes.
• Apply First Principles & Lean Engineering
  • Utilise first-principles engineering, analytical calculations, and simplified modelling approaches where appropriate to guide design decisions and maximise CAE efficiency.
• Lead Correlation & Validation Activities
  • Support and interpret component and vehicle-level test results, ensuring robust correlation between simulation predictions and physical performance.
• Collaborate Across Engineering Functions
  • Work closely with Design Engineering, Attribute Teams, Manufacturing, Materials and Vehicle Integration teams to deliver balanced engineering solutions.
• Manage Supplier Technical Delivery
  • Work effectively with external engineering partners and suppliers to define analysis requirements, review technical outputs, challenge assumptions, and ensure simulation activities are delivered to the required quality, timing, and performance targets.
• Drive Innovation in Component Development
  • Contribute to the development of advanced simulation methods, automation workflows, and optimisation approaches to improve engineering turnaround times and design quality.
• Support Material & Manufacturing Integration
  • Ensure CAE methodologies accurately represent component materials and manufacturing processes, including plastics, composites, metallic components, and associated joining technologies.
  • Understanding of component-level interaction with:
    • NVH performance
    • Crash and safety requirements
    • Durability targets
  • Proven experience correlating CAE predictions with physical test data.
• Strong knowledge of materials commonly used in body systems including plastics, composites, metallic structures, and trim systems.
• Experience managing and technically guiding external suppliers and engineering service providers.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Essential Functional / Technical Skills:
  • Strong experience in automotive CAE focused on interior and/or exterior body components.
  • Expertise in structural simulation techniques including:
    • Linear and nonlinear FEA
    • Static and dynamic analysis
    • Durability assessment
    • Stiffness and strength evaluation
    • Component optimisation
  • Experience delivering components against multiple attribute requirements simultaneously.

No restraints. No limitations. We don't simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath‑taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.

Ability to apply first-principles engineering methods alongside high-fidelity CAE techniques

What We’ll Do for You

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days' holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years' service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice