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
• 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 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