Lead Mechanical Engineer

Radiodetection Ltd; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Collaborative engineering culture

Visible leadership support

Hybrid working environment

Job summary

Radiodetection Ltd is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer in Bristol to lead a mechanical engineering team in developing ruggedised products. The role involves driving the technical direction, managing teams, and collaborating across engineering disciplines. Ideal candidates will have strong leadership skills, expertise in SolidWorks, and a passion for continuous improvement. The position offers a hybrid work environment to support innovation and quality in product development.

Qualifications

• Previous engineering team leadership experience.
• Expert SolidWorks capability.
• Experience in fast-moving manufacturing or product development environments.
• Strong understanding of industrialisation and manufacturing processes.
• Confident challenging decisions and driving engineering standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical architecture and technical direction across product development.
• Manage and develop a team of engineers.
• Drive DFM/DFA, industrialisation, and supplier collaboration.
• Improve engineering standards and accountability.
• Support tooling, injection moulding, and die-casting design.

Skills

Team Leadership

SolidWorks

Industrialisation

Manufacturing Processes

Continuous Improvement

Job description

SPX Radiodetection designs world-leading technology that helps protect critical infrastructure globally. As we continue to evolve toward more integrated, systems-based products, we are looking for a Lead Mechanical Engineer to help shape the future of our engineering capability.

This is a high-impact leadership role combining technical authority, people leadership, and product industrialisation within a fast-paced electromechanical environment.

The Role

You’ll lead a mechanical engineering team while driving the development of ruggedised products from concept through to high-volume manufacture.

Working closely with engineering, suppliers, and manufacturing partners, you’ll champion a “right first time” mindset — improving standards, challenging shortcuts, and ensuring products are robust, manufacturable, and built for demanding real-world environments.

The role will focus approximately 70% on NPI and 30% on sustaining engineering activities.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading mechanical architecture and technical direction across product development
• Managing and developing a team of engineers
• Driving DFM/DFA, industrialisation, and supplier collaboration
• Improving engineering standards, design reviews, and accountability
• Supporting tooling, injection moulding, die‑casting, and ruggedised product design
• Leading root‑cause investigations and continuous improvement initiatives
• Collaborating across mechanical, electronics, firmware, and manufacturing teams

What We’re Looking For

• Previous engineering team leadership experience
• Expert SolidWorks capability
• Experience within fast-moving manufacturing or product development environments
• Strong understanding of industrialisation and manufacturing processes
• Someone confident challenging decisions and driving engineering standards
• Passionate about quality, continuous improvement, and engineering excellence

Experience within electronics, industrial equipment, automotive, aerospace, utilities, or ruggedised products would be highly beneficial.

Why Join SPX Radiodetection?

• Work on market‑leading technology with global impact
• Influence the future of innovative system‑based products
• Join a collaborative engineering culture with visible leadership support
• Play a key role in improving engineering capability and product quality
• Hybrid working environment with onsite collaboration Tuesday–Thursday

If you enjoy solving complex engineering challenges, leading from the front, and building products the right way, we’d love to hear from you.