Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

Jackie Kerr Recruitment Ltd; Carterton; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus schemes

25 days annual leave + Bank Holidays

Employer matched pension scheme

Death in Service scheme

Training & Development Plan

Perkbox discounts

Job summary

Jackie Kerr Recruitment Ltd is seeking a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer in Carterton, Oxfordshire. The role leads complete product design from concept to volume manufacture, with strong ownership of sub-systems and assemblies.

You will work with Product Management and R&D, design robust architectures, and ensure DFx practices for high quality, low cost production while maintaining ISO 9001 standards.

Qualifications

• Graduate in Engineering, Physics or Mathematics or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on design experience of multiple products across full lifecycle.
• Experience taking technical ownership of complete products/assemblies.
• Strong understanding of tolerancing and mechanical assemblies.

Responsibilities

• Write Product Briefs with Product Management and R&D.
• Design product architectures, platforms and interfaces to meet briefs.
• Ensure designs align with engineering strategy and enable reuse.
• Perform FEAs and feasibility analyses early in design.
• Detail design of parts using 3D CAD for in-house and external manufacture.
• Integrate parts into complete assemblies and validate performance.
• Create documentation including 2D drawings, datasheets, regulatory data.
• Develop prototypes and test against documented requirements.
• Record defects and drive corrective actions.
• Maintain ISO 9001 quality processes and safety-critical considerations.

Skills

3D CAD

Technical ownership

Mentoring

Independent working

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

Carterton, Oxfordshire

£53,000 - £60,000 Per Annum + £8,000 Bonus + Excellent Benefits! (See Below)

We at JKR are supporting a well-established UK manufacturer with a strong international presence, designing, developing and manufacturing a wide range of innovative products!

We are recruiting for an experienced Principal Mechanical Design Engineer, who will be responsible for the design and delivery of complete products and product sub-systems, from initial concept through to volume manufacture.

The Principal Mechanical Design Engineer Role:

• Work with Product Management and other members of the Research and Development team to write clear and sufficient Product Brief documents, setting out the requirements and scope of new product developments
• Design overall product architectures, platforms and interfaces to ensure that the requirements of each Product Brief can be met
• Ensure individual designs align with the wider engineering strategy, maximising design re-use and minimising future sustaining engineering requirements
• Identify design risks and perform feasibility studies and theoretical analysis as necessary to quantify and minimise these risks early in the design process
• Perform detailed design of individual parts using 3D CAD software, for both in-house manufacture and external suppliers
• Integrate parts designed by other team members into complete systems, taking overall responsibility for the performance of the complete assembly
• Perform detailed analysis of proposed designs to ensure they meet design objectives across the full range of operating conditions and manufacturing tolerances
• Work with the Production Engineering team, toolmakers and external suppliers to ensure that parts are Designed For Manufacture (DFM), ensuring high quality, low cost, vendor independence and high repeatability of processing
• Create full documentation packages for all parts and assemblies, including 2D drawings for critical dimensions and tolerances, data sheets and regulatory information
• Create prototypes using rapid prototyping techniques and production-ready parts
• Test prototypes against documented requirements, both as sub-systems and when integrated into complete functional prototypes
• Create clear written test reports and action plans to resolve any issues identified
• Keep up to date with relevant technologies and techniques, identifying opportunities to develop or invest in new technologies and design approaches
• Ensure that all designs are implemented and tested rigorously, in line with the company's ISO 9001 quality processes and the safety-critical nature of the products
• Consider potential failure modes for products in real-life situations, including performing full or partial FMEA
• Ensure that all defects and issues are systematically recorded, tracked and resolved

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer Ideal Candidate:

• Hands-on experience designing multiple products, ideally for high volume / mass production, covering the complete process from initial concept through to volume manufacturing
• Experience taking technical ownership of complete products, assemblies or product sub-systems
• 3D CAD skills, ideally SolidWorks, although experience with other systems will be considered if willing to learn SolidWorks
• Graduate in Engineering, Physics or Mathematics OR equivalent experience
• Strong understanding of dimensions, tolerancing and mechanical assemblies
• Experience with plastic injection-moulded parts would be advantageous
• Confident with mathematics and theoretical analysis of mechanical and fluid systems (desirable)
• Able to guide and mentor junior team members on technical topics
• Committed to ongoing learning and self-development
• Able to work independently, but also collaborate effectively within a team
• Able to operate confidently and communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation, both verbally and in writing
• Excellent attention to detail
• Completer finisher mindset

This is a senior technical position rather than a traditional team management role, so the successful candidate will remain heavily involved in hands‑on design and product delivery while providing technical guidance to more junior engineers.

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer Working Hours & Benefits:

• Standard: 9:00am-5:00pm Monday to Thursday, 9:00am-4:30pm on Fridays
• Flexible working by prior agreement with management, with core hours of 10:00am to 4:00pm on all five days, 34.5 hours total per week
• Bonus schemes
• 25 days annual leave + Bank Holidays
• Employer matched pension scheme
• Death in Service scheme
• Training & Development - Career / Personal Development Plan
• Employee discounts platform (Perkbox)
• 'WeCare' well-being programme
• Cycle-to-work scheme