Principal Design Engineer

Are you an experienced Mechanical Design Engineer ready to take the next step into a Principal-level technical leadership role?

We’re working with a highly engineered Aerospace & Defence organisation seeking a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer to lead complex mechanical design programmes, provide technical direction and develop a team of engineers.

This is an opportunity to work on technically challenging mechanical systems, influencing projects from concept and detailed design through to customer approval. You’ll take ownership of major design programmes while providing technical leadership across a multi-disciplinary engineering environment.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and develop a team of Mechanical Design Engineers
• Deliver complex mechanical designs from concept through to customer approval
• Provide technical leadership across multi-disciplinary engineering teams
• Lead design reviews with internal stakeholders and customers
• Produce and review calculations, specifications, drawings and technical documentation
• Drive design improvement, root cause analysis and non-conformance reduction
• Develop engineering standards, processes and best practice
• Mentor and develop engineers across the wider team

We’re interested in experienced Mechanical Design Engineers with a strong background in complex, highly regulated engineering environments.

Ideally, you'll have experience with:

• Transmission systems, gearboxes, gears or heavy mechanical equipment
• Aerospace, Defence, Marine or similar high-integrity engineering
• Mechanical calculations, specifications and detailed design
• Leading technical teams or complex engineering projects
• Customer-facing technical reviews and presentations
• CAD packages such as Siemens NX, Solid Edge or AutoCAD
• AS9100 / ISO 9001 quality environments

A Mechanical Engineering degree is required, with Chartered status or progression towards Chartership advantageous. You'll have genuine influence over technical direction, engineering standards, project delivery and the development of the wider design team, while working on complex programmes within a highly regulated sector.

Important: Due to the nature of the work, applicants must be Sole UK Nationals and able to satisfy the relevant security clearance requirements.

If you're an experienced Mechanical Design Engineer looking for a role where you can combine hands-on technical expertise with genuine engineering leadership, get in touch for a confidential conversation.