Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Description:

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Permanent | Oxfordshire | Full-time | Hybrid (primarily onsite)
Please note: No visa sponsorship is available for this position.

A growing engineering business is looking for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to join its product development team, working on rugged industrial equipment designed for real-world deployment.
This is a hands-on, onsite-focused role with genuine ownership-supporting design from early concepts through to detailed design, prototype build, test and production release.

The role

You'll sit within the mechanical engineering team and take responsibility for delivering high-quality mechanical design across a range of industrial products and assemblies.
Working closely with manufacturing, testing and suppliers, you'll produce robust designs, drawings and documentation to support safe, manufacturable, low-volume production.

What you'll be doing

Producing detailed mechanical designs, 3D models and engineering drawings using SolidWorks, CATIA or similar
Creating and maintaining BOMs, technical documentation and engineering records
Owning design packages from concept → prototype → test → production release
Applying DFM/DFA principles to improve manufacturability and quality
Supporting design reviews, engineering risk assessments and FMEA activities
Solving mechanical engineering challenges around structural integrity, thermal management, sealing and assembly
Supporting prototype builds, test and validation activity
Working closely with suppliers and cross-functional engineering teams
Supporting commissioning, installation and field deployment where required
Contributing to continuous improvement of engineering standards, templates and processes

Required background (must-have)

Strong experience with heavy-gauge sheet metal design and construction welding environments
Understanding of brake press work, bending constraints, bend relief, and the realities of low-volume production
A practical, hands-on approach: able to work independently, take clear notes, ask constructive questions, and get on with the work
Note: Automotive body-in-white experience using heavy press tooling is less relevant for this role

What we're looking for

Degree-qualified Mechanical Engineer (BEng/MEng) or equivalent practical experience
Strong mechanical design / product development background
Strong CAD capability (SolidWorks, CATIA or equivalent)
Experience producing detailed engineering drawings, assembly models and BOMs
Solid understanding of fabrication, machining and manufacturing processes
Familiarity with engineering change control and document management processes
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities