Manager, Feasible Concepts

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

Benefits offered by this job

Structured career development

25 days’ holiday

Enhanced company pension

Discretionary annual bonus

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Sabbatical opportunity

Wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

McLaren Automotive Ltd. is seeking a senior leader to head the Feasible Concepts team. You will identify, originate and develop innovative, hardware- and software-led concepts for future vehicle programmes.

You will work across product, UX, electronics, software, validation and external partners to shape ideas into deployable concepts. You will design and run workshops, supervise proof-of-concept activities, evaluate technology partnerships and ensure alignment with architecture, safety and

Qualifications

• Experience leading advanced automotive engineering or innovation delivery.
• Strong ability to facilitate ideation, discovery and technical feasibility workshops.
• Proven track record in delivering complex programmes with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Feasible Concepts team from opportunity discovery to deployment strategy.
• Plan and facilitate structured innovation workshops with key stakeholders.
• Oversee PoC activity, including testing and validation with users.
• Lead partner evaluations to ensure technologies align with roadmaps and constraints.
• Ensure solutions fit vehicle architecture, safety, cybersecurity and timing requirements.
• Develop and govern delivery, ownership, risk and quality standards.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Workshop facilitation

Technical feasibility assessment

Program delivery management

Education

Engineering degree (2:1 or above)

Tools

Simulation rigs

Prototype environments

Systems engineering tools

Job description

What to Expect

This role leads the Feasible Concepts team and is accountable for identifying, originating and developing a pipeline of feasible, human-tested innovations and advanced electronic, mechatronic and software-led feature concepts that can be deployed into future McLaren vehicle programmes.

Working cross-functionally across product, UX, vehicle electronics, software, validation, purchasing and external partners, this role provides managerial and technical leadership from ideation and workshop facilitation through proof of concept, feasibility assessment, partner evaluation and deployment strategy. It ensures the team actively generates new propositions as well as shaping ideas from across the business, with innovation activity that is robust, commercially aware, compatible with vehicle architecture constraints and aligned to future product and feature roadmaps.

What You'll Do

• Feasible Concepts Leadership Lead the Feasible Concepts team in identifying, ideating, developing, maturing and evaluating advanced electronic, mechatronic and software-led feature concepts, ensuring a clear pipeline from opportunity discovery and idea generation through feasibility assessment and programme deployment strategy.
• Workshop Design & Facilitation Plan, design and execute structured innovation, discovery, concept shaping and technical feasibility workshops, bringing together the right stakeholders to generate ideas, test assumptions, prioritise opportunities and create actionable next steps.
• Proof of Concept & Human Testing Oversee proof of concept activity including simulation rigs, user interface evaluation environments, prototype vehicle builds and customer or human-factor testing to validate desirability, technical feasibility and deployment readiness.
• Partner & Technology Evaluation Lead technical input into requests for information, market tests and partner assessments, ensuring selected technologies, suppliers and cloud service providers are aligned to product roadmaps, technical strategy, commercial constraints and long-term scalability.
• Architecture & Programme Alignment Ensure concept solutions are compatible with vehicle architecture constraints, functional safety, cybersecurity, integration, validation and programme timing requirements, identifying limitations and trade-offs early in the design process.
• Team Leadership & Delivery Governance Lead, develop and resource the team to deliver agreed innovation and concept objectives, creating clarity of ownership, managing priorities, controlling risks and maintaining high standards of quality, communication and delivery discipline.

What You'll Bring

• Extensive experience leading advanced automotive engineering, electronics, software-led feature development or innovation delivery within complex vehicle development environments.
• Strong understanding of early concept development, advanced feature definition, usability evaluation, prototype development and technical feasibility assessment.
• Experience designing and facilitating ideation, discovery, concept definition and technical feasibility workshops with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Practical experience developing proof of concepts, simulation rigs, prototype environments or early validation approaches to assess technical feasibility, user value and deployment readiness.
• Ability to lead cross-functional technical decision-making across UX, product, electronics, software, validation, purchasing and external technology partners.
• Proven experience managing teams, developing capability, planning delivery and controlling risk across ambiguous, early-stage or rapidly evolving technical programmes.
• Knowledge of vehicle E/E architecture, systems engineering, requirements definition, interface management and integration constraints, with awareness of relevant functional safety and cybersecurity considerations.
• Degree-qualified, 2:1 or above, in electrical/electronic engineering, automotive engineering, software engineering, systems engineering or equivalent technical discipline.

What We’ll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

• 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

Who Are We?

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.