Principal Engineer

Are you an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer or Senior Mechanical Design Engineer with a strong background in aerospace engineering, FEA/CFD and pressure systems?

Do you enjoy taking technical ownership of complex products, leading design activity and providing specialist engineering support across the full product lifecycle?

We're supporting a leading aerospace manufacturing business in Fareham who are looking to recruit a Principal Mechanical Engineer – Aerospace to join their Engineering team.

This is a senior technical opportunity where you'll take responsibility for product design from initial interpretation of customer specifications through concept, manufacture and installation, while becoming a key technical authority for FEA and CFD within the business.

What's the role all about?

As the Principal Mechanical Engineer, you'll take technical ownership of aerospace products and projects, ensuring designs meet customer specifications, performance requirements and engineering standards.

You'll provide specialist expertise in fluid mechanics, pressure systems, FEA and CFD, conducting analysis to verify product integrity and performance.

Alongside your technical responsibilities, you'll support the wider Engineering team, participate in design reviews, work directly with customers and provide technical guidance to Production and Quality.

You'll also deputise for the Engineering Manager when required, making this an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer looking for greater technical responsibility and influence.

Key responsibilities

Take responsibility for product design from interpretation of customer requirements through to manufacture and installation

Analyse products to ensure design integrity and performance specifications are achieved

Establish and perform FEA and CFD analysis applicable to aerospace products

Act as a technical focal point for FEA/CFD and provide guidance to other engineering users

Conduct and participate in technical design reviews throughout the project lifecycle

Perform Engineering Contract Reviews

Act as an Aerospace Approval Signatory for applicable product categories

Provide technical support to Production and Quality teams, including MRB decisions

Provide technical support to Sales and Applications teams

Work directly with customers to resolve technical requirements and engineering challenges

Monitor and control project and unit costs against agreed budgets and profitability targets

Liaise with Sales, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Estimating and subcontractors

Deputise for the Engineering Manager when required
What you'll need

To succeed in this role, you'll bring:

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Significant mechanical engineering experience within an aerospace environment

Experience working with precision-machined aerospace components

Strong understanding of fluid mechanics and pressure systems

Proven experience carrying out FEA and CFD analysis

Competence using Autodesk CFD

Strong mathematical and analytical capability

Project management experience

Ability to produce clear and detailed technical reports

Strong customer-facing and communication skills

Full UK driving licence
Technical experience

Experience with the following would be particularly relevant:

ANSYS FEA

Autodesk CFD

Autodesk Inventor 3D Solid Modelling

Fluid mechanics

Pressure systems

Precision-machined components

Mathcad / TK Solver

Microsoft Project

Design verification and analysis
Desirable

Technical Engineering Apprenticeship alongside degree-level qualifications

Filtration industry experience

Mathcad or TK Solver experience

Previous experience acting as a technical approval/signatory authority
About you

You're an experienced engineer who is comfortable taking technical ownership and being the person others turn to for complex engineering challenges.

You'll be:

Methodical and analytical

Technically strong and hands-on

Accurate and thorough

A confident problem solver

Self-motivated and accountable

A strong communicator

Comfortable working directly with customers

Willing to travel internationally occasionally when required
Why join?

This is an excellent opportunity to step into a genuine Principal Engineer position where you'll have significant technical influence rather than simply managing individual design projects.

You'll become a key technical authority within the Aerospace Engineering team, working across product design, simulation, customer requirements, manufacturing and quality while helping develop the business's FEA and CFD capability.

Interested?

If you're an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer, Principal Design Engineer, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, FEA Engineer or Aerospace Mechanical Engineer looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today or contact Kingdom People for a confidential discussion.

Kingdom People are acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy