Senior Product Development Engineer - AR3

NIF; Caldas da Rainha, Leiria; Remote; EUR 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal allowance

Health insurance

Shuttle transport between Lisboa, Leir

Bonus

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

The NIF portfolio is hiring for roles linked to the AR3 platform, with on-site work in Caldas da Rainha and Leiria. You will drive development and optimization, translating customer needs into engineering solutions and working across multidisciplinary teams to push product improvements from design to production.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electronics, Aerospace, or related fields, plus 5+ years in product development and a strong command of English.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electronics, Aerospace, Aeronautical Engineering or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Drive development and optimization of the AR3 platform with product improvements.
• Translate customer needs into engineering solutions, ensuring technical feasibility.
• Analyze product requirements, specifications and applicable standards.
• Develop product changes from concept through prototyping, testing and production.
• Identify and solve complex technical problems with root-cause analysis.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Design, Manufacturing and Quality teams.
• Act as a technical reference and evolve the AR3 platform continuously.
• Work with autonomy while mentoring less experienced teammates.

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electronics, Aerospace, Aeronautical Engineering or a related field

Job description

The NIF backs the companies building the next generation of defence, security and resilience technology.These are their open roles

Why This Matters — These are not ordinary technology jobs. The companies in the NIF portfolio arebuilding capabilities that Allied nations depend on — and they are hiring the people who will make thatpossible.

Note: Roles listed here are with the NIF portfolio companies, not with NATO Innovation Funddirectly.

Drive the development and optimization of the AR3, identifying and implementing product improvements;

Translate customer needs and requirements into engineering solutions, ensuring their technical feasibility;

Analyse product requirements, specifications and applicable standards;

Develop product changes, from concept and design through prototyping, testing, validation and implementation into production;

Identify and solve complex technical problems, performing root cause analysis and defining robust solutions;

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across Engineering, Design, Manufacturing and Quality;

Act as a technical reference, contributing to the continuous evolution of the AR3 platform.

Work with a high degree of autonomy, while sharing knowledge and supporting the development of less experienced team members.

Profile & Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electronics, Aerospace, Aeronautical Engineering or a related field;

+5 years professional experience in product development and continuous improvement, preferably in complex physical products, aerospace, UAVs, automotive or similar industries;

Experience working with products already in production, ideally involving product customization and adaptations to meet customer requirements;

Ability to work end-to-end, from requirements through design, prototyping, testing, validation and production implementation;

Strong problem-solving, autonomy and technical decision-making skills;

Fluent English is essential; Portuguese is considered a plus;

Resilience, proactivity and a hands-on approach;

Ability to adapt and thrive in an environment of constant innovation and change.

Availability to work on-site in both Caldas da Rainha and Leiria.

What we have to offer you

• A dynamic and collaborative working environment, with the opportunity to make a real impact
• A competitive salary package, aligned with your proven level of experience
• Meal allowance and health insurance for employees
• Shuttle transport service between Lisboa, Leiria, Caldas da Rainha and Ponte de Sor
• Bonus in line with company policy
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

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