Technical Product Development Manager

Blue Oak Recruitment; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Oak Recruitment is seeking a Technical Product Development Manager in Huddersfield to own a portfolio of engineered products for the electricity and rail sectors. You’ll develop concepts, specify designs, and drive from prototype to launch, coordinating testing, certification and regulatory compliance.

The role emphasises commercialisation—identifying improvements and new product opportunities while working closely with Sales and manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Requires a degree or HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering or related field.
• Strong technical grounding in engineered/manufactured products, with design, drawings and manufacturing process awareness.

Responsibilities

• Develop concepts, specifications and designs for new and existing products.
• Coordinate prototypes, testing and certification, ensuring compliance with technical, safety and regulatory standards.
• Own product portfolio from concept to launch and drive commercialisation for market-ready solutions.
• Collaborate with Sales, manufacturing and suppliers to understand customer needs and close gaps in the portfolio.
• Lead cradle-to-grave project execution and maintain engineering documentation.

Skills

CAD

Mechanical engineering

Product development

Testing & validation

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering or Product Design Engineering

Tools

CAD software

Job description

Technical Product Development Manager

Are you someone who combines strong technical engineering knowledge with the commercial curiosity to look at a product and ask, “Why are we doing it this way?” or “Why aren’t we making this ourselves?”

We’re recruiting for a business supplying specialist engineered products into the Electricity Supply and Rail sectors, and they’re looking for someone to take genuine, technical ownership of their product portfolio.

This isn’t a role where you’ll inherit a list of projects and simply keep them moving. They want somebody who will get under the skin of the existing range, understand how and why each product is manufactured and sourced, identify where improvements can be made and spot opportunities for completely new products.

You’ll develop the concept, produce specifications and designs, work with manufacturing teams and suppliers, coordinate prototypes, arrange testing and certification and make sure the product meets the required technical, safety and regulatory standards before taking it through to launch.

A big part of the role is understanding commercialisation. Designing technically brilliant products that solve a customer’s problem or redesigning ageing products into something the Sales team can take to market.

Day to day you’ll be working closely with Sales to understand what customers are asking for, where competitors are stronger, where the current portfolio has gaps and what the next generation of products could look like.

There isn’t a large product development department around you, so you need to be comfortable working independently, asking the questions, chasing suppliers, speaking to test houses, working with manufacturing, supporting Sales and driving your own projects forward. Cradle to grave in the truest sense.

That also means being comfortable with the less glamorous but essential side of product development. Technical drawings, specifications, Bills of Materials, certification, technical files, manuals, product change records and engineering documentation all sit within your remit. If you start a project, you’ll be responsible for making sure the whole job is finished properly.

We’re looking for someone with a strong technical grounding – likely Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering or a similar discipline – who has worked with engineered or manufactured products and understands design, drawings, CAD, manufacturing processes, testing and validation.

Candidates with experience within utilities, electricity, rail infrastructure, lifting equipment, overhead line equipment, earthing products, PPE or other safety‑critical engineered products will have a distinct advantage, although strong product development experience from another engineering or manufacturing environment will be considered.

If you’re the sort of person who naturally looks at a product and starts thinking “I could improve that”, enjoys having ownership rather than working on one small part of a much bigger project, and wants the autonomy to take ideas all the way from a conversation to a commercially launched product, this could be a very good fit.

Essential Experience

• Degree or HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering or a related engineering discipline.