Lead Mechanical Design Engineer

ZipRecruiter; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK-based defence technology company seeks a Mechanical Design Team Lead to oversee the design and development of air vehicles. The role involves both leadership and hands-on engineering across the product life cycle, requiring strong communication and problem-solving skills, proficiency in CAD, and eligibility for UK Security Clearance.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and leadership skills required.
• Proficiency in CAD (e.g., SolidWorks) necessary.
• Background in aerospace systems, composites, or avionics desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers, driving performance.
• Oversee the mechanical design of air vehicles and payloads.
• Participate in design reviews and maintain configuration standards.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Problem-solving

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Job Description

Mechanical Design Team Lead - Air Vehicle Design

About the Company
Our client is a UK-based defence technology company producing uncrewed air systems. With over 15 years of experience and strong financial backing/investment, the company is scaling rapidly, delivering cutting-edge UAV solutions for defence and government clients.
With fully integrated UK-based facilities for design, manufacturing, and flight testing, the team can rapidly prototype, iterate, and deploy platforms in response to emerging operational needs.

Role Overview
We're looking for an experienced and proactive Mechanical Design Team Lead to guide a multidisciplinary team in the design and development of next- air vehicles. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on engineering across the entire product life cycle - from concept to flight.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers, driving performance and development
• Oversee the mechanical design of air vehicles, payloads, and production-ready platforms
• Ensure efficient resource allocation and milestone delivery in collaboration with senior leaders
• Participate in design reviews and maintain configuration and documentation standards
• Support manufacturing and supply chain teams with technical input
• Plan and execute test and validation activities, including flight tests
• Contribute to continuous improvement across engineering processes and team capability
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and team resourcing

What We're Looking For
We value people who are collaborative, technically sharp, and adaptive. Ideal candidates will have:

• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Proficiency in CAD (eg SolidWorks)
• Experience with design for manufacture and configuration management
• A hands-on, problem-solving mindset
• Background in aerospace systems, composites, or avionics (desirable)
• Eligibility for UK Security Clearance (SC)

Working Model
Hybrid working is supported, with most team members on-site at least three days per week. Due to the nature of the work, UK and SC clearance eligibility are essential.