Mechanical Design Authority (Contract)

CBS Butler; Larkhill; Hybrid; GBP 157,597,000 - 200,579,000; Full time

Job summary

Deliverables include developing safety-critical products, overseeing trials, and ensuring compliance across the full product life cycle. This position offers hands-on responsibility and opportunities for long-term career development within advanced engineering.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering safety-critical engineered products.
• Ability to own complex mechanical designs from concept to qualification.
• Strong communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical design activities on complex engineered products.
• Manage product evolution and ensure customer compliance.
• Drive design reviews, validation and qualification activities.
• Collaborate with stress, thermal, materials, manufacturing and testing teams.
• Interface with customers, suppliers and project stakeholders.
• Support trials, investigations and product performance assessments.

Skills

Technical design

Multidisciplinary

Stakeholder comms

Hands-on mindset

Analytical thinking

Job description

Mechanical Design Authority

• £55ph - £70ph (12 month contract, Inside IR35)
• Kidderminster (Hybrid available)

We're supporting a highly advanced engineering and manufacturing organisation at the forefront of propulsion technology, seeking a talented Mechanical Design Authority to join their growing Development team.

This role entails technical ownership of complex mechanical systems, from design to support.

You'll work across the full product life cycle - from concept and development through qualification, production and in-service support - on complex, safety-critical systems operating in some of the harshest environments imaginable.

The role combines cutting-edge engineering with real hands-on involvement. One day you could be leading design reviews and customer technical discussions, the next overseeing live trials, analysing test data or investigating hardware performance.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading technical design activities on complex engineered products
• Managing product evolution and ensuring customer compliance
• Driving design reviews, validation and qualification activities
• Working closely with specialists across stress, thermal, materials, manufacturing and testing disciplines
• Acting as a key technical interface with customers, suppliers and project stakeholders
• Supporting trials, investigations and product performance assessments

We're looking for engineers who:

• Thrive in technically challenging environment
• Enjoy solving complex multidisciplinary problems
• Have experience developing safety-critical engineered products
• Can communicate confidently with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Bring a practical, hands-on mindset alongside strong analytical skills

Why this opportunity stands out:

Work on genuinely unique technology

Broad engineering exposure across multiple disciplines

Hands-on testing and development activity

High level of technical ownership and autonomy

Long-term career development within advanced engineering