Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Innovation

good hair day; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hair styling tools company in Cambridge is seeking an Innovation Engineer to develop early-stage prototypes in the Hair and Beauty industry. The role involves concept development, engineering & prototyping, and collaboration with cross-functional teams. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering, 2+ years of relevant experience, and strong CAD skills. This exciting position offers the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• 2+ years experience in a similar role, preferably in consumer electronics.
• Experience working in a lab environment.
• Ability to integrate heating, sensing & control systems.

Responsibilities

• Generate and evaluate new product concepts and technologies.
• Design and build functional prototypes for validation.
• Iterate designs based on testing data and feedback.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Mechatronics engineering

CAD (Solidworks/Creo)

Python

Electromechanical prototypes

Statistical data analysis

Education

Higher education qualification in Mechanical or Mechatronics engineering

Tools

FEA software (ANSYS, ANSA, Abaqus)

Minitab

LabView or Matlab

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

WHO ARE WE?

Iconic British brand ghd is a global leader in high end professional hair styling tools and the UK's number one recommended styling brand. Loved by stylists and consumers, loved by press, and loved by the people that work for the brand!

Merging science and innovation, with luxury beauty and style; ghd combines cutting edge technologies and beautiful designs to create the most technically advanced hair tools in the world.

Developed by leading scientists and engineers in the dedicated ghd R&D laboratories in Cambridge, ghd tools deliver "safer for hair" heat styling that have become an essential part of the daily lives of professional hair stylists and consumers globally.

Renowned for game changing innovation and superior performance, at ghd we are on a mission to transform lives with the power of a good hair day!

ABOUT THIS ROLE

An innovation engineer with a creative approach to problem solving, working at the forefront of breakthrough research in the Hair and Beauty industry. This role provides an exciting opportunity to pioneer the development of early-stage prototypes alongside an industry leading team of engineers and scientists.

LOCATION

This role will be based in our Cambridge office.

JOB ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Concept Development

• Generate and evaluate new product concepts/technologies
• Collaborate with designers, scientists, and marketing to identify unmet consumer needs and translate them into technical solutions

Engineering & Prototyping

• Design and build functional prototypes to validate concepts and technologies
• Conduct feasibility studies and proof-of-concept experiments for new technologies (e.g., heating elements, sensors, power systems)
• Utilize CAD software to model components and assemblies

Technology & Materials Research

• Explore emerging technologies, materials, and manufacturing methods that can be applied to future products
• Partner with suppliers and external R&D labs to assess and integrate novel solutions

Testing & Validation

• Iterate designs based on lab testing, user testing, reliability data, and feedback

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with consumer research and professional stylists to assess perceived performance, ergonomics, and user experience
• Liaise with electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to ensure seamless integration of hardware and firmware
• Work closely with operational team to ensure key design and performance requirements transitioned into mass production with manufacturing and quality teams

Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain clear design documentation, test results, and technical reports
• Present innovation proposals and findings to stakeholders

REQUIREMENTS

Enthusiastic and engaging individual with a passion for research and development and an analytical (data driven) approach to problem solving.

Essential

• Higher education qualification in Mechanical or Mechatronics engineering or similar from a Russel Group member or internationally equivalent group/league member university
• Minimum 2.1-degree classification
• +2 years experience in a similar role, preferably in consumer electronics or handheld devices
• Ability to integrate heating, sensing & control methods as part of a mechanical and/or electronic system to create novel early-stage technologies and concepts
• Experience designing, building, and testing electromechanical prototypes
• Experience working in lab environment
• CAD skills (ideally Solidworks and/or Creo)
• At least 2 years of experience with at least one FEA software package: ANSYS, ANSA, Abaqus and or related software (Ideally ANSYS)
• Fluency in Python
• Statistical data analysis

Desirable

• Practical with understanding of physics, thermodynamics, materials science, sensing and, control
• Familiarity with product compliance and safety standards (CE, UL, etc.)
• Experience with the following software packages would be advantageous:
  1. Arduino/Raspberry Pi coding
  2. Minitab, or similar statistical software
  3. LabView or Matlab
• Basic software and hardware development to control test systems

VALUES

We at ghd are proudly committed to our Company Values and aim to attract and retain employees who live our Values.

• Collaborative - We work together to create the extraordinary
• Creative - We foster creativity & excellence to create value for our brands and business
• Courageous - We are agile, entrepreneurial & we own our future
• Connected - We stay connected and ensure we are always consumer first
• Committed - We are responsible for our impact on other & the planet

Important notice to Employment businesses/ Agencies

ghd does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. ghd shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.