PSS
Principal Mechanical Engineer
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Become the Technical Lead for a Growing British Engineering Business
PSS is a specialist manufacturer and remanufacturer of steering, driveline, and hydraulic components, supplying OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, global vehicle manufacturers, aftermarket distributors, defence organisations, and industrial customers worldwide.
As part of our continued growth and long-term succession planning, we are looking for an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer to become the senior technical authority within our engineering function.
This is a hands-on technical engineering role rather than a traditional management position. We are looking for someone who enjoys understanding how products work, investigating why they fail, and developing practical solutions to repair, improve, reverse engineer, or redesign them.
The Role You will provide technical leadership across our growing remanufacturing operation and established manufacturing activities, working closely with Manufacturing, Remanufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Sales, and Production.
Your work will be varied and could see you investigating a failed steering or hydraulic component one day, developing a new remanufacturing process the next, and designing a bespoke mechanical product in SolidWorks shortly afterwards.
Key Responsibilities Will Include:
- Providing day-to-day technical support across manufacturing and remanufacturing
- Investigating component failures and leading root-cause and warranty investigations
- Developing repair, refurbishment, and remanufacturing methods for new product lines
- Reverse engineering obsolete or unsupported mechanical components
- Designing hydraulic cylinders, steering columns, steering pumps, and bespoke mechanical products using SolidWorks
- Producing 3D models, manufacturing drawings, Bills of Materials, and engineering documentation
- Carrying out engineering calculations including force, stress, torque, flow, and power
- Supporting prototype manufacture, testing, and product validation
- Advising on machining methods, materials, heat treatments, coatings, and manufacturing processes
- Developing test methods, fixtures, and engineering processes
- Supporting new OEM and customer remanufacturing programmes
- Working directly with OEM engineering teams, customers, and suppliers to develop technical solutions
- Maintaining engineering drawings, technical standards, and configuration control
- Helping develop our capability in electronically controlled automotive products, including electric power steering systems
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What We're Looking For We are primarily interested in finding an experienced, practical mechanical engineer with strong engineering fundamentals and excellent problem-solving ability.
You should have:
- HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical engineering experience
- Significant mechanical engineering experience within manufacturing, automotive, hydraulics, off-highway, defence, heavy engineering, or a related sector
- Strong SolidWorks or equivalent 3D CAD experience
- Experience designing mechanical or hydraulic components for manufacture
- A good understanding of CNC machining, fabrication, and assembly processes
- Strong knowledge of engineering drawings and geometric tolerancing
- Good knowledge of materials, heat treatments, coatings, and surface finishes
- A practical understanding of hydraulic systems and mechanical power transmission
- The confidence to work directly with customers, suppliers, production teams, and OEM engineers
Experience in remanufacturing, overhaul, repair engineering, steering systems, hydraulic cylinders, pumps, driveline components, or reverse engineering would be particularly valuable.
An appreciation of automotive electronics, PCBs, or electronically controlled automotive systems would also be advantageous as we continue to develop our electronic repair and remanufacturing capabilities.
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The Person This role will suit someone who is naturally curious about mechanical systems and enjoys solving real engineering problems.
You will be equally comfortable working in SolidWorks, discussing a technical solution with an OEM customer, and working alongside machinists and technicians on the shop floor.
Previous management experience is not essential. We are much more interested in finding an experienced engineer with strong technical judgement, a practical approach, and the ability to become a trusted technical authority within the business.
Why Join PSS? This is a long-term technical leadership appointment with significant autonomy and the opportunity to shape the future engineering capability of PSS.
You will:
- Become the senior technical authority within the business
- Work directly with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and global vehicle manufacturers
- Work across an exceptionally broad range of steering, hydraulic, and driveline products
- Develop new products as well as solve complex real-world engineering problems
- Play a key role in expanding our remanufacturing capabilities
- Work across both established mechanical technology and next-generation automotive systems
- Join a financially stable and growing British engineering company investing in its future
- Have the opportunity to broaden your responsibilities and become a key member of the company's senior leadership team as the business continues to grow
If you're an experienced mechanical engineer who enjoys designing, investigating, reverse engineering, and solving problems rather than simply managing an engineering department, we'd like to hear from you.
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