Senior Research And Development Engineer

Barrington James; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Barrington James is seeking an experienced Senior R&D Engineer to drive the development of next-generation medical devices in the Cambridge area. You will lead multidisciplinary teams through concept, design, verification and design transfer, ensuring compliance with medical device standards.

The role offers the chance to influence product strategy, tackle complex engineering challenges and translate innovative ideas into clinically applicable technologies within a regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in R&D, product development or design engineering within regulated medical device sectors.
• Strong background with complex medical products and electromechanical devices.
• Experience taking products through multiple development lifecycle stages.
• Familiarity with regulatory standards and quality systems in medical devices (e.g., ISO 13485, ISO 14971).

Responsibilities

• Lead R&D projects from feasibility through design, development and verification.
• Drive innovative engineering solutions to product performance and design challenges.
• Provide technical leadership to engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Develop and refine product specifications, prototypes and test methods.
• Support verification, validation, risk management and design control activities.
• Ensure activities align with medical device standards and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and quality teams for design transfer and optimization.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and materials for future product development.

Skills

R&D experience

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Mechanical/Biomedical/Medical Engineering degree

Job description

Are you an experienced R&D professional ready to take the next step in your career and contribute to the development of innovative medical technologies?

We are seeking a talented Senior R&D Engineer to support the research, design and development of next-generation medical devices. This is an opportunity for a technically minded professional to take ownership of complex engineering challenges, influence product development strategy and work across multidisciplinary teams to bring innovative concepts closer to clinical application.

Based in the Cambridge area, this role would suit an ambitious engineer with a strong background in medical device development, product innovation and engineering problem-solving.

The opportunity

As a senior member of the R&D function, you will play a key role throughout the product development lifecycle, from early-stage concept generation and feasibility studies through to verification, validation and design transfer.

You will work collaboratively with engineering, quality, regulatory and manufacturing colleagues to develop safe, reliable and commercially viable medical technologies.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to R&D projects, taking concepts from initial feasibility through design, development and verification.
• Drive innovative engineering solutions to complex product performance and design challenges.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineers and cross-functional project teams.
• Develop and refine product specifications, design inputs, prototypes and test methodologies.
• Support design verification, validation, risk management and design control activities.
• Ensure development activities align with relevant medical device standards and regulatory requirements, including ISO 13485 and ISO 14971 where applicable.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and quality teams to support design transfer, product optimisation and continuous improvement.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, materials and engineering approaches to identify opportunities for future product development.

What we're looking for

We are interested in hearing from experienced engineering professionals who combine strong technical capability with a practical, innovative approach to product development.

• A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Medical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Significant experience in R&D, product development or design engineering within the medical device or a closely related regulated engineering sector.
• Experience taking products through multiple stages of the development lifecycle.
• Experience with electromechanical devices, diagnostics, digital health technologies or other complex medical products.

Who should apply?

This opportunity could be a strong fit for a Senior R&D Engineer, Senior Design Engineer, Medical Device Development Engineer or experienced Product Development Engineer looking for a broader technical remit.

We welcome candidates who are curious, commercially aware and motivated by the challenge of turning complex engineering ideas into practical medical technologies.

If you are ready to bring your expertise to a role where engineering, innovation and patient-focused product development intersect, we would welcome your interest.