Senior Advanced Development Engineer

Vax; Droitwich Spa; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Vax seeks a Senior Advanced Development Engineer to develop innovative technologies and concepts at the front end of product development. You will combine consumer insight with engineering to rapidly create, prove and mature ideas before they transition into NPD, collaborating with Design Research, Industrial Design and Advanced Engineering to transform opportunities into compelling prototypes.

You will leverage strong CAD capabilities, extensive prototyping experience and a solid manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Product Design or Mechanical Engineering (Master’s advantageous).
• 5+ years experience in Advanced Development or innovative consumer product development.
• Strong understanding of consumer product engineering and manufacturing processes such as injection moulding, die casting, sheet metal, elastomers, machining and DFMEA.
• Proven experience developing product concepts and enabling technologies through rapid prototyping and de-risking.
• Excellent CAD capability and ability to create concept layouts and functional prototypes.
• Excellent communication, presentation and storytelling skills in conveying technical concepts.

Responsibilities

• Develop technologies, product concepts and engineering solutions from opportunities through to validated proof of concept.
• Translate consumer feedback into practical and technically credible product solutions.
• Rapidly build prototypes and demonstrator rigs to support learning and stakeholder engagement.
• Apply product engineering principles and manufacturing knowledge to create innovative, feasible concepts.
• Support technical de-risking through experimentation, testing and rapid iterations.
• Collaborate with Design Research and Industrial Design to shape future consumer experiences.

Skills

CAD capability

Product design engineering

Prototyping

Manufacturing knowledge

Communication skills

Ambiguity management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Product Design or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Senior Advanced Development Engineer

As a Senior Advanced Development engineer, you’ll develop innovative technologies, product concepts and engineering solutions that shape our future innovation pipeline. Working at the front end of product development, you’ll combine consumer understanding with exceptional product engineering to rapidly create, prove and mature ideas before they transition into NPD. You’ll collaborate with Design Research, Industrial Design, Advanced Electrical and Technical Engineering, transforming opportunities into compelling prototypes and demonstrators that inspire confidence, reduce technical uncertainty and influence future product direction.

Key Duties

• Develop innovative technologies, product concepts and engineering solutions from opportunities uncovered through design research through to validated proof of concept.
• Translate consumer & user feedback into practical, creative and technically credible product and technology solutions.
• Rapidly build high‑quality prototypes and demonstrator rigs that support technical learning, user testing and stakeholder engagement.
• Apply strong product engineering principles and manufacturing knowledge to develop concepts which are innovative, feasible and commercially viable.
• Support technical de‑risking through structured experimentation, engineering analysis, testing and rapid iterations.
• Contribute to technical and design reviews, communicating engineering recommendations with clarity and confidence.
• Collaborate clearly with Design Research and Industrial Design to create concepts that bring future consumer experiences to life in user research.
• Work with supplier and global engineering teams to develop concept designs, engineering solutions and supporting CAD.
• Continuously improve concept quality, engineering methods and ways of working through curiosity, experimentation and practical problem‑solving.

What We’re Looking For

You’re an exceptional product design engineer who enjoys creating products and developing technologies that don’t exist yet. You combine creativity with strong engineering fundamentals, think in the bigger picture as well as the details, and instinctively build to learn. Whether you’re sketching ideas, developing CAD, building prototypes or presenting concepts, you’re driven by solving real consumer problems through practical engineering.

Skills, Experience & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree (BA, BSc, BEng) in Industrial, Product Design or Mechanical Engineering or related discipline. (Master’s advantageous but not required).
• 5+ years experience in Advanced Development, Concept Engineering or innovative consumer product development.
• Strong understanding of consumer product engineering, mechanical design and manufacturing processes including injection moulding, die casting, sheet metal, elastomers, machining and Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DFMEA).
• Proven experience developing product concepts and enabling technologies through rapid prototyping, experimentation and technical de‑risking.
• Excellent CAD capability, with experience creating concept layouts, engineering solutions and functional prototypes.
• Strong understanding of product architecture, mechanisms, material selections, tolerance considerations and engineering trade‑offs. Cost, Spec, Time & Quality.
• Practical, hands‑on engineering capability with experience using workshop equipment, rapid prototyping methods and manufacturing techniques to quickly validate ideas.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and teams in Asia to develop concepts, CAD and engineering solutions.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity, creating structure and driving technical work forward proactively.
• Excellent communication, presentation and storytelling skills, capable of communicating technical concepts with clarity and confidence.

What Makes You Successful

• Concept Engineering: You transform opportunities into technologies and compelling product concepts.
• Product Engineering: Apply strong engineering and manufacturing knowledge to create both creative and viable technical solutions.
• Rapid Learning: You prototype, test and iterate quickly to reduce uncertainty and mature concepts.
• Systems Thinker: Understand the complete product you’re designing and engineering, balancing consumer, performance and commercial needs.
• Practical Innovator: You instinctively find the quickest, smartest way to build, test and demonstrate an idea.
• Influence: You communicate clearly, tell compelling technical stories and build confidence through evidence and demonstration.