Senior Mechanical Engineer

Scientis Search Ltd; Eynsham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Scientis Search Ltd is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and development of miniature mechanisms and opto‑mechanical systems for adaptive lens technologies. You will own concepts, detailed design, verification and manufacture, balancing accuracy, repeatability and robustness across complex optical systems.

The role requires strong hands‑on engineering ability, experience with CAD/FEA and a track record of delivering high‑precision mechanisms in multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Mechanical/Precision Engineering or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead the complete mechanical development lifecycle from concept through production.
• Own the technical delivery of precision mechanical and opto‑mechanical systems across major development programmes.
• Define mechanical architectures integrating optics, advanced materials and manufacturing requirements.
• Develop precision mechanisms with constrained motion and repeatability.
• Apply tolerance analysis, GD&T and engineering calculations to validate designs.
• Lead technical design reviews, governance and risk management.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to define requirements and specifications.
• Work with suppliers to support development and industrialisation.
• Contribute to DfM/ DfA and transfer to pilot production and scale‑up.
• Drive engineering standards and best practices across projects.

Skills

First principles design

Precision mechanisms

Tolerance analysis

LEAD technical workstreams

CAD design (SolidWorks)

FEA

Materials & manufacturing selection

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Master's degree in Mechanical/Precision Engineering

PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related

Tools

SolidWorks

FEA software

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and development of sophisticated miniature mechanisms and complex precision mechanical and opto-mechanical systems for our novel adaptive lens technologies. These systems will enable a new generation of adaptive optical products with applications spanning AR/VR, ophthalmics, medical technologies and next‑generation optical systems.

This is a technically demanding, hands‑on engineering role where you will develop precision systems in which controlled motion, kinematics, accuracy, repeatability and mechanical stability are fundamental to optical performance. You will take engineering challenges from first‑principles concept and mechanism development through detailed design, verification, industrialisation and manufacture — developing ingenious mechanical solutions that will ultimately define the performance and capability of the technology.

This is a rare opportunity to apply your mechanical engineering expertise to genuinely novel technology, working alongside a highly accomplished multidisciplinary team and playing a significant role in taking breakthrough innovation through to commercial reality.

About Us

We are a highly innovative deep‑technology company developing advanced optical technologies based on proprietary soft optical materials and fluid‑filled adaptive optical systems.

Operating at the intersection of optics, materials science, chemistry and precision engineering, we are creating technologies with applications spanning adaptive optics, AR/VR, ophthalmics and next‑generation optical systems.

We are recognised globally as pioneers in adaptive lens technology, partnering with leading consumer electronics, technology and medical device companies to develop solutions that optimise how people see the world.

Having successfully demonstrated our technology, we are now entering the next phase of development as we transition breakthrough science into robust, manufacturable products.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a rapidly growing technology company where scientific curiosity, engineering excellence and collaboration underpin everything we do. Working within a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, you will play a central role in bringing genuinely transformative technology to market.

The Role

As Senior Precision Mechanical Engineer, you will take technical ownership of the design, development and delivery of complex precision mechanical and opto‑mechanical systems, leading major engineering workstreams from early concept through detailed engineering, verification, industrialisation and manufacture.

This is a senior, hands‑on engineering role requiring exceptional analytical ability, sound engineering judgement and the confidence to make critical technical decisions. You will be responsible for defining the mechanical architecture of complex precision systems, ensuring they satisfy demanding performance requirements whilst remaining robust, manufacturable and scalable.

You’ll work across the complete product development lifecycle—from first‑principles concept generation and mechanism development through to prototype verification, pilot manufacture and transfer into production. Throughout, you’ll collaborate closely with specialists in optics, materials science, chemistry, simulation, manufacturing and systems engineering to develop fully integrated product solutions.

The engineering challenges are technically demanding and intellectually rewarding. You’ll develop sophisticated precision mechanisms and opto‑mechanical assemblies capable of delivering exceptional levels of accuracy and repeatability, balancing kinematic performance, structural stability, manufacturability and long‑term reliability within highly integrated optical systems.

Beyond the engineering itself, you’ll provide technical leadership across projects, lead design reviews, drive engineering best practice and work with suppliers and external development partners to ensure successful delivery of key programmes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the complete mechanical development lifecycle from concept generation through to production.
• Own the technical delivery of precision mechanical and opto‑mechanical systems across major development programmes.
• Define mechanical architectures that successfully integrate optics, advanced materials and manufacturing requirements into robust product solutions.
• Develop sophisticated precision mechanisms where kinematics, constrained motion, degrees of freedom and repeatability are fundamental to system performance.
• Apply rigorous engineering analysis, tolerance analysis, hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to validate designs and support technical decision making.
• Lead technical design reviews, engineering governance and risk management throughout product development.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to define requirements, interfaces and engineering specifications.
• Collaborate with suppliers and external development partners to support product development and industrialisation.
• Contribute to manufacturing strategy, Design for Manufacture (DfM), Design for Assembly (DfA) and successful transfer into pilot production and scale‑up.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering standards, design methodologies and technical best practice.

What We're Looking For

This role demands exceptional analytical ability, intellectual curiosity and a genuine passion for precision engineering.

You will have built your career solving technically demanding engineering challenges where mechanical performance, precision and reliability are critical to product success. Your academic background will have provided a rigorous grounding in engineering fundamentals—most likely through a Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Precision Engineering or a closely related discipline—and you will have developed the ability to combine first‑principles thinking with practical engineering judgement.

An education from Oxbridge or another leading Russell Group university would be advantageous, although we are ultimately seeking engineers who demonstrate exceptional technical ability, analytical rigour and an appetite for solving genuinely difficult multidisciplinary problems.

Your experience is likely to include:

• Designing and delivering precision mechanical systems from first principles through concept generation, detailed design, verification and manufacture.
• Developing sophisticated precision mechanisms where kinematics, constrained motion, degrees of freedom, deterministic constraint and precision positioning are fundamental to system performance.
• Applying rigorous tolerance analysis, Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) and engineering calculations to achieve highly repeatable mechanical performance.
• Designing miniature precision assemblies incorporating bearings, gears, threads, flexures, compliant mechanisms and precision linkages.
• Selecting materials and manufacturing processes whilst designing for manufacture, assembly, reliability and scalability.
• Using CAD (ideally SolidWorks), engineering analysis and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to support robust engineering decisions.
• Working collaboratively with specialists across optics, materials science, manufacturing and systems engineering to develop integrated product solutions.
• Leading technical workstreams, influencing engineering decisions and communicating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.

Experience within adaptive optics, opto‑mechanics, scientific instrumentation, precision engineering, medical devices, photonics or similarly demanding engineering environments would be highly advantageous.

Why Join Us?

Few engineering roles offer the opportunity to define the mechanical architecture of an entirely new technology.

Fewer still allow you to do so within a multidisciplinary team combining world‑class expertise in optics, materials science, chemistry and precision engineering.

This role will appeal to engineers who are motivated not simply by designing components, but by solving fundamental mechanical problems. Engineers who enjoy developing elegant precision systems where every degree of freedom, every tolerance and every design decision contributes directly to the performance of breakthrough technology.

Your work will directly influence the development of advanced optical systems with applications spanning consumer electronics, medical devices and next‑generation adaptive optics, helping shape technologies that will have global impact.

If you're looking for an engineering role where the technical challenge is genuinely exceptional, and where your work will define the performance of an entirely new class of optical technology, we'd like to hear from you.