Lead Mechanical Engineer

Arctic Research and Development; Cirencester; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Private Health Insurance

Dental & Optician

Equity — meaningful options as anearly

Real field exposure — travel to Arctic

Mission-driven culture

Small team ownership

Job summary

Arctic Research and Development (ARD) near Cirencester is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to design, build and deploy hard-environment hardware for Arctic-ready systems. You will own end-to-end development from concept through production, with hands-on field testing and cross-functional collaboration.

You will push materials, sealing, and thermal design, travel to Arctic sites as required, and help set QA standards to ensure reliability in extreme cold.

Qualifications

• 7+ years hardware development for extreme environments.
• Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with hardware portfolio.
• Proficient in 3D CAD and DFMA principles.

Responsibilities

• Design, test, and deliver Arctic-ready hardware from cradle to deployment for ARD’s product-line
• Drive materials choices, joinery, sealing, and reliability under thermal/mechanical stress
• Lead cold-chamber and durability testing, with Test Engineer, for sub-zero climates
• Integrate closely with electrical, software, and deployment teams (systems, software, GIS, RF)
• Set QA standards to ensure our systems stay bulletproof in the harshest conditions
• Travel to the Arctic for R&D field testing and meetings with industry reps

Skills

Hardware development

Product development (DfMA)

Hands-on prototyping

Field testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

PDM

Job description

LOCATION: CALMSDEN, CIRENCESTER, UK - WITH FIELD TRAVEL

THE LAST FRONTIER

The Arctic is a place of extremes: unforgiving, untamed, and undergoing rapid change. A literal defrosting reveals a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity spanning energy, defence, logistics, research, and infrastructure.

ARD was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox—an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence is why we exist. Our solution is autonomy.

We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don't always have to.

Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.

THE ROLE

We’re looking for a Lead Mechanical Engineer to own the design, build, and deployment of cold-hardened hardware — from field-ready energy systems to autonomous surface and sub-surface platforms. You’ll work from first principles to engineer real-world solutions that operate where failure isn’t an option. You’ll lead end-to-end design, push hardware and material limits, and take your work into the field — from the workshop to the Arctic.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, test, and deliver Arctic-ready hardware from cradle to deployment for ARD’s product-line

• Drive materials choices, joinery, sealing, and reliability under thermal/mechanical stress

• Lead cold-chamber and durability testing, along with Test Engineer, to ensure performance in sub-zero climates

• Integrate closely with electrical, software, and deployment teams (systems, software, GIS, RF)

• Set QA standards to ensure our systems stay bulletproof in the harshest conditions

• Travel to the Arctic for R&D field testing and meetings with industry reps

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• 7+ years industry experience developing hardware for extreme environments

• A degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a portfolio of high-fidelity hardware dev

• Advanced in 3D CAD ( Siemens NX, SolidWorks, PDM)

• Experience with taking a product from concept design to production, with a strong grasp of DfMA.

• Hands-on prototype and testing experience, working alongside multi-disciplinary engineering teams

• Readiness to operate in safe but cold environments while conducting R&D prototype field tests

DESIRABLE SKILLS

• Knowledge of environmental and reliability testing (e.g. thermal cycling, vibration, shock)

• Familiarity of electrical systems to ensure a holistic approach to hardware design

• Basic understanding of RF systems and components

• Previous experience working within an R&D workshop

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive compensation

• Private Health Insurance

• Dental & Optician

• Equity — meaningful options as an early employee at an early-stage company

• Real field exposure — travel to Arctic sites and Outposts when needed (genuinely, not as a gimmick)

• Mission-driven culture — focus on impact, not hours logged

• Small team, real ownership — what you build matters and ships

A note on who we want to hear from

We're building for one of the most demanding environments on Earth and we believe diverse teams build more resilient systems. We actively welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in engineering - whether that's by gender, ethnicity, disability, or background. If you're not sure you meet every requirement, apply anyway and tell us what excites you about the problem.