Senior Mechanical Engineer

Saab UK; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Workplace pension 8% contribution

Private medical insurance

Group income protection

Death in service insurance

Share matching scheme

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

Saab UK, part of the global defence group, is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer for unmanned systems based in Bedford. You will provide technical leadership across mechanical and aerospace development, own complex design tasks and mentor engineers from concept through flight test and production.

Responsibilities include leading CAD architecture in SolidWorks, integrating propulsion, payloads and aircraft structures, performing FEA and hand calculations, and guiding manufacturing, verification

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering is required.
• Extensive mechanical design experience in aerospace, UAV, defence or similar sectors.
• Advanced CAD capability (SolidWorks or CATIA) with GD&T and PLM/PDM experience.
• Experience leading products from concept through manufacture and test.
• Strong understanding of metallic and composite structures and manufacturing methods.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design and development across aerospace programmes.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring for engineers.
• Own CAD architecture, drawing release and configuration control.
• Lead integration of propulsion systems, payloads and aircraft structures.
• Perform FEA and hand calculations; support verification and certification activities.
• Engage with customers to translate requirements into solutions.

Skills

Mechanical design

Aerospace experience

SolidWorks/CATIA

GD&T

DFMA/DFMEA

Leadership/mentoring

Education

Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

PLM/PDM systems

Job description

Introduction

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia's largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

What you will be part of

Saab is a leading defence and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe.

Empowered by its 28,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world.

Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems.

Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defence capability of several nations.

The Role:

A Senior Mechanical Engineer provides technical leadership across mechanical and aerospace development activities for unmanned systems. The role owns complex design tasks, mentors engineers, and supports product development from concept through flight test and production. This position sits within BlueBear - A Saab Company and is based in Bedford.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design and development activities across multiple aerospace programmes.
• Provide technical leadership, design reviews and mentoring for engineers.
• Own CAD architecture, detailed design, drawing release and configuration control using SolidWorks.
• Lead integration of propulsion systems, payloads and aircraft structures.
• Conduct engineering analysis including FEA (e.g. ANSYS/Nastran), hand calculations and design trade studies.
• Support manufacturing, assembly, verification, flight test and certification activities.
• Manage technical risks, DFMEA activities and engineering documentation.
• Engage with customers and stakeholders to translate requirements into solutions.
• Support estimates, planning and work package delivery.

Essential Skills

• Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or equivalent.
• Extensive experience in mechanical design within aerospace, UAV, defence or similar sectors.
• Advanced SolidWorks or CATIA capability including surfacing, assemblies, drawing generation and GD&T, plus experience working within a PLM/PDM system.
• Experience leading products from concept through manufacture and test.
• Strong understanding of metallic and composite structures and manufacturing methods.
• Build, integrate and test prototype/rig hardware in the workshop
• Support fault-finding and rework on aircraft/test articles directly
• Experience with BS8888.
• Experience with DFMA, FMEA and engineering governance processes.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and mentor engineers.
• Strong communication and customer-facing skills.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with eVTOL, UAS or advanced air mobility systems.
• Knowledge of airworthiness and flight test processes.
• Experience in a regulated defence environment and eligibility for UK security clearance (SC).

Saab UK Company Benefits:

• 30 days annual leave
• Workplace pension scheme with 8% company contribution
• Private medical insurance
• Group income protection scheme
• Death in service insurance
• Up to 5% share matching scheme
• Company enhanced Maternity/Adoption & Paternity leave.
• + Much more