Principal Design & Applications Engineer

Clearly Jobs Ltd.; Cirencester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension scheme

Medical (BUPA)

Dental

Death in Service

Relocation Support

Job summary

Clearly Jobs Ltd. is seeking a Principal Design & Applications Engineer with deep knowledge in seals, hydraulic systems and materials to shape customer outcomes. You will deliver manufacturable solutions across motorsport, automotive, and industrial equipment sectors.

The role requires hands-on design and technical leadership, producing robust CAD concepts and engineering documentation while ensuring compliance with quality processes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Design or Applications Engineer in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of hydraulics and fluid power.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks CAD and GD&T/tolerance analysis.
• Clear technical communication and report-writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary technical contact for customer sealing and hydraulic enquiries.
• Lead technical feasibility studies and provide engineering input to support sales.
• Produce application and failure analysis reports with corrective recommendations.
• Design and approve sealing proposals for hydraulic and fluid-power systems.

Skills

Design/Applications engineering

Hydraulics knowledge

GD&T/tolerance analysis

Technical communication

Tools

SolidWorks CAD

Job description

Principal Design & Applications Engineer

Motorsport, Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial Equipment

Competitive Salary plus Company Bonus, Pension scheme, Medical (BUPA), Dental, Death in Service, Relocation Support

Are you seeking an exciting, hands-on technical career as a Principal Design & Applications Engineer, where your expertise in seals, sealing systems and hydraulics genuinely shapes customer outcomes. This role brings variety, real problem-solving, and the satisfaction of delivering manufacturable solutions that stand up to demanding applications across the engineering and fluid power industry.

As a Principal Design & Applications Engineer you will:

• Act as the primary technical contact for customer sealing and hydraulic enquiries, translating requirements into practical solutions.
• Lead technical feasibility and support sales with engineering input, including direct communication with customers and suppliers.
• Produce clear application and failure analysis reports, driving corrective recommendations and root-cause investigations.
• Design and approve sealing proposals for hydraulic and fluid-power systems, including rod seals, piston seals, wipers, buffer seals, wear rings, gaskets and O-rings.
• Apply hydraulic sealing principles across dynamic and static arrangements, selecting appropriate materials for pressure, speed, temperature, media and duty cycle.
• Create robust CAD concepts and engineering documentation using SolidWorks, supporting release via engineering change processes and maintaining accurate bills of materials.

As a Principal Design & Applications Engineer you will bring:

• Proven experience as a Design or Applications Engineer in a manufacturing environment, with substantial hands-on experience in sealing products using elastomeric, thermoplastic and composite materials.
• Strong working knowledge of hydraulics and fluid power, including hydraulic cylinder sealing systems and the conditions that influence seal selection.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks CAD, plus confidence with GD&T and tolerance analysis, including tolerance stack-ups.
• Clear technical communication, documentation and report-writing skills, with the ability to engage customers and suppliers at a practical level.
• Comfort working within quality frameworks such as ISO 9001:2015 and familiarity with relevant quality artefacts and processes (for example NCRs, PPAP, FAIRs and ISIRs).

This Principal Design & Applications Engineer role supports the company's continuing growth by strengthening its technical authority in precision sealing and hydraulics. You will help ensure solutions are reliable, compliant and delivered on time, while contributing to continuous improvement through disciplined design rules, documentation, and collaboration across engineering and suppliers. The focus remains on delivering exceptional engineering outcomes for customers in markets such as motorsport and oil & gas.