Principal Design Engineer

White Label Recruitment Ltd; Wakefield; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Pension (company contribution)

Dental and health support

Flexible, hybrid working

Job summary

White Label is seeking a Principal Design Engineer in Wakefield to lead technical delivery of Special Purpose Machinery and industrial automation projects. You will shape concepts with sales, guide a team of engineers, and ensure designs meet safety, manufacturability and performance requirements.

The role involves taking projects from initial concept through detailed design to build support, with a strong emphasis on leadership and commercial awareness.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in Special Purpose Machinery, industrial automation, or similar environment.
• Proven track record from concept to build on machinery/engineered systems.
• Strong mechanical engineering knowledge incl. materials, tolerancing, manufacturing methods.
• Experience leading design reviews and coordinating engineers.

Responsibilities

• Act as Technical Lead from concept through design release, build, and FAT support.
• Collaborate with sales to shape commercially viable engineering concepts.
• Produce and review concept layouts and detailed mechanical designs in Inventor.
• Lead Design Engineers and coordinate input from Controls and other disciplines.
• Ensure mechanical design approvals and technical integrity of solutions.
• Lead design reviews, identify risks early, ensure safety, manufacturability and maintainability.
• Apply machinery safety standards and support risk assessments.
• Estimate engineering hours and support project costing.
• Assist Build and Controls teams with design queries and changes.
• Coach and develop other Design Engineers.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Concept design

3D CAD

Risk assessment

Vendor liaison

Tools

Autodesk Inventor

Autodesk Vault

Job description

White Label is working with a growing production solution provider in Wakefield, operating across defence, aerospace, automotive and advanced assembly sectors. They require a Principal Design Engineer to join their expanding engineering team.

This is a senior technical leadership role for an engineer who wants genuine ownership of complex, high-value projects. As Principal Design Engineer, you will act as Technical Lead across Special Purpose Machinery, Industrial Automation, and bespoke manufacturing solutions - taking projects from initial concept through detailed design and into build support. You will be involved from the earliest stage, working alongside the sales team to shape commercially viable engineering concepts, and will lead and coordinate other engineers throughout the project lifecycle.

My client is offering a salary of £55,000 - £60,000 + dependent on experience, plus benefits:

• 25 days holiday, rising to 28 days with length of service
• Pension (company contribution)
• Dental and health support
• Flexible, hybrid working depending on project requirements

Duties of the Principal Design Engineer

• Acting as Technical Lead on assigned projects from initial concept through design release, build, and FAT support.
• Working alongside the sales team to understand customer requirements and develop practical, commercially viable engineering concepts.
• Producing and reviewing concept layouts and detailed mechanical designs using Autodesk Inventor.
• Leading Design Engineers and coordinating input from Controls and other engineering disciplines.
• Taking responsibility for mechanical design approval and overall technical integrity of the solution.
• Leading design reviews, identifying technical risks early and ensuring designs are safe, manufacturable, and maintainable.
• Applying relevant machinery safety standards and supporting risk assessment activities.
• Estimating engineering hours and contributing to project costing and commercial performance.
• Supporting Build and Controls teams with technical queries, design changes, and troubleshooting.
• Coaching and developing other Design Engineers within the team.

Experience Required of the Principal Design Engineer

• 7+ years' relevant engineering experience with a strong background in Special Purpose Machinery, Industrial Automation, machine building or a similar environment.
• Proven track record of taking machinery or engineered systems from concept through detailed design and into build.
• Strong mechanical engineering knowledge including materials, tolerancing, manufacturing methods and component selection.
• Proficiency in Autodesk Inventor or a comparable 3D CAD package; Autodesk Vault experience is advantageous.
• Ability to lead technical projects, coordinate engineers and make confident engineering decisions with commercial awareness.
• Comfortable developing concepts from relatively undefined customer requirements and presenting solutions directly to customers.
• Desirable: experience with robotics, industrial automation, leading design reviews, supporting FAT/SAT, and mentoring engineers.