Principal Design Engineer

globalhr; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Performance bonus

Career development

Job summary

Collins Aerospace in Wolverhampton is seeking a Principal Design Engineer to lead design and development of electric actuation systems for nacelles. You will provide design authority from concept to production and work with cross-functional teams.

The role requires a degree in mechanical engineering, strong problem-solving and communication skills, and is based in a new Collins facility in Wolverhampton with travel <20%.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering is required.
• Experience in a design engineering environment.
• Proven ability to lead design concepts across product lifecycles.
• Strong problem solving and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead generation of innovative electro-mechanical actuation designs.
• Provide technical leadership and review design deliverables.
• Support all stages from concept to production and in-service support.
• Mentor junior engineers and collaborate with global teams.

Skills

Design leadership

Mechanical design

Electro-mechanical

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA

Teamcenter PLM

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-07-07

Country: United Kingdom

Location: Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton

Position Role Type: Onsite

Collins Aerospace is a global leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the aerospace and defence industry.

This is an exciting new role within Collins and a unique opportunity to be part the ASG electric thrust reverser actuation centre of excellence, working as part of a team of technical innovators in the development of new technologies to position the business for success on next generation of aerospace nacelle electric actuation.The position will be located within a new bespoke facility in Wolverhampton.

Reporting to the ASG-UK Site Lead – Chief Engineer,you will provide technical leadership and design authority for the development of electric actuation systems and associated subsystems, supporting programmes from concept through to production and in-service support.

What You Will Do

As a Principal Design Engineer, you shall be responsible for conceptual & detail design support, maintaining and developing the design integrity of products within a multi-disciplinary Engineering team to support the design and development phase for electric actuation and associated subsystems.

In this varied role you will be responsible for providing design support, guidance and leadership at all stages of the design process from initial requirements capture and proposal preparation, through detail design to manufacture and qualification. Quality of Design deliverables, adherence to procedures and knowledge of aircraft actuation equipment are key to the role.

Responsibility extends across the entire life cycle of the product, from conceptualizing and design, to prototyping and manufacturing, integration and verification testing, through production support.

You will support new business opportunities and develop key customer relationships. You will also support the development of the engineering strategy, including a technology roadmap and new business opportunities.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading the generation of innovative design concepts and configurations for electro-mechanical actuation systems
• Providing technical leadership and direction to design engineering teams
• Reviewing and approving design engineering deliverables
• Supporting all stages of the product lifecycle, from requirements capture and proposal development through detailed design, manufacture, qualification, and production support
• Ensuring compliance with design processes, engineering standards, and programme requirements
• Developing optimised solutions that balance performance, weight, cost, manufacturability, and robustness
• Leading design reviews and presenting technical solutions to customers and stakeholders
• Working closely with customers, suppliers, and internal teams to resolve complex engineering challenges
• Ensuring correct integration and installation of products within wider actuation systems
• Overseeing the production of manufacturing data packages, engineering drawings, and tolerance analyses
• Supporting risk identification, mitigation planning, and design assurance activities
• Leading problem-solving activities throughout development, qualification, production, and in-service phases
• Providing engineering oversight for project planning and execution of design work packages
• Mentoring and developing junior engineers, graduates, and placement students
• Supporting technology roadmap development and future capability growth
• Leading failure investigations and corrective action activities
• Collaborating with global engineering teams to drive continuous improvement and share best practices
• The role will be based in a new Collins Aerospace facility in Wolverhampton, UK, with <20% international travel.

What You Must Have

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent engineering qualification
• Demonstrated experience in a design engineering environment

• Knowledge of machine design, electro-mechanical equipment product configurations.
• Experience of leading the generation of innovative design concepts for mechanical or electro-mechanical systems throughout the product lifecycle

• Proven ability for problem solving.
• Experience in supporting failure investigations.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams

• A passion for design engineering, self-development and excellence within a team.

Desirable Experience

• Experience using CATIA
• Experience using Teamcenter PLM systems

What We Offer

People arecoreto what we do. As such, we are committed to providing an industry leading benefits package. We offer a highly competitive salary, annual bonus, and many other benefits to include:

• Competitive salary and package
• 25 days annual leave, plus public holidays plus the option to buy / sell up to 5 days per year
• Generous Employer Contribution Pension Scheme with 2:1 matched contributions up to 10%
• Private Medical Insurance
• Health & Wellbeing Cash Plan - (dental/optical/therapy/chiropody/health screening)
• Life Assurance & Group Income protection scheme participation
• Employee Discounts & Flexible Benefits platform
• Support with professional fees
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Employee recognition schemes
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth
• and so much more!

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

Please note that potential candidates will be subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and background checks.

RTX adheres to the principles of equal employment. All qualified applications will be given careful consideration without regard to ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.