Tear Down & Materials Engineer

Red Bull Racing & Red Bull Technology; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Red Bull Powertrains is seeking a Teardown & Materials Engineer for their Formula 1 power units. This unique role involves leading teardown activities, conducting materials analysis, and ensuring continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate will have a background in mechanical or materials engineering with experience in high-performance R&D.

Benefits

Bonus scheme

Private healthcare

Pension scheme

On-site gym

Free daily food allowance

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in teardown or mechanical inspection.
• Strong understanding of internal combustion engine architecture.
• Foundational knowledge of materials behavior.

Responsibilities

• Lead teardown activities for power unit assemblies.
• Ensure teardown actions capture maximum learning and feed into future designs.
• Collaborate with Engineers to assess root causes of damage.

Skills

Mechanical Inspection

Documentation

Materials Testing

Root Cause Analysis

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Degree in Automotive Engineering

Degree in Materials Science

Degree in Motorsport Engineering

Tools

Metallurgical Lab Techniques

Inspection Systems

Job description

Red Bull Powertrains is seeking a highly motivated Teardown & Materials Engineer to take ownership of the teardown process for our Formula 1 power units. This is a rare opportunity to be part of a team working at the cutting edge of performance engineering, ensuring we maximise learning from every test and race unit. This unique role combines hands-on teardown of Formula 1 power units with materials analysis — closing the loop between component failure and root cause.

Based at our state-of-the-art Milton Keynes campus, you will operate across a broad range of power unit hardware, leading investigations and learning capture from used components, and ensuring teardown activities inform future designs and performance decisions. Working across our Teardown and Materials functions, you’ll capture critical data from power unit hardware post-test and apply materials testing methods to support deeper analysis. You’ll liaise with design, quality, testing, and manufacturing teams to feed insights back into performance and reliability development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead teardown activities for power unit assemblies, capturing failure, wear, and measurement data
• Act as the main point of contact for teardown planning, execution, and analysis
• Ensure teardown actions capture maximum learning, feeding back into future designs
• Support component inspections and end-of-life hardware reviews through structured documentation and reporting
• Drive continuous improvement of systems including strip-card data capture and post-run reporting, plus teardown and lab-based inspection processes
• Play a key role in the dormancy and archiving practices for teardown components
• Provide a link between Strip, NDT and Engineering during the teardown process
• Support failure investigation activities within the Materials Team
• Carry out or support materials testing and inspection tasks
• Collaborate with Engineers to assess root causes of damage and degradation

Who you are:

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Materials Science or Motorsport Engineering (or equivalent practical experience)
• 3+ years hands-on experience in teardown, mechanical inspection, or a high-performance R&D environment
• Strong understanding of internal combustion engine architecture and failure mechanisms
• Foundational knowledge of materials behaviour (e.g. wear, fatigue, coatings, corrosion)
• Strong organisational skills with an eye for detail, and a methodical and detailed approach to documentation and analysis
• Able to work across teams and disciplines, translating test findings into engineering actions
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage workload and priorities in a dynamic environment
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical teams

In addition to the above, the ideal candidate should have experience in motorsport, aerospace, or high-performance R&D environments and be skilled in inspection and measurement systems, metallurgical lab techniques (including sample prep, microscopy, and hardness testing) plus teardown/inspection processes. Familiarity with fault reporting, root cause analysis (e.g. 8D, 5 Whys) and component reuse criteria is essential. Knowledge of part archiving, end-of-life component procedures and failure investigation processes is also required.

This role offers a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of mechanical engineering and materials science in a fast-paced Formula 1 environment. You’ll gain broad technical exposure, contribute directly to race-winning performance, and develop insights that truly make a difference.

Most importantly, you’ll be part of the team driving our championship-winning cars to success. If you’re ready to test your limits and win big, apply now.

At Red Bull Powertrains, we believe that success isn’t just about speed—it’s about the team behind the victory. We trust, support, and challenge each other, always pushing for better. We take our work seriously, but not ourselves, knowing that the best results come when we enjoy the journey together. We offer a competitive salary, plus:

• Bonus scheme
• Private healthcare
• A pension scheme
• On-site gym
• Free daily food allowance
• And many more!

You will be joining a team that’s as ambitious as it is supportive. If you want to be part of something special, apply now and help shape F1 history.