TRB Lightweight Structures
Senior Design Engineer
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Senior Design Engineer
Location: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Department: Engineering Reporting to: Engineering Manager
About TRB Lightweight Structures
TRB Lightweight Structures is a specialist designer and manufacturer of lightweight aluminium structures / parts for the rail industry. As part of the Kineco Group, we work with leading rolling stock manufacturers and operators across the UK and Europe, delivering innovative solutions including passenger door systems, lightweight interior structures, toilet modules, composite assemblies, and bespoke engineered products.
Our products are designed, manufactured, and assembled in-house, giving our engineers the opportunity to influence every stage of the product lifecycle—from concept through to production. We are looking for an experienced Senior Design Engineer to join our Engineering team. This is an excellent opportunity for a practical, hands-on engineer who enjoys taking ownership of projects, working directly with customers, and seeing their designs become reality.
The Role
This is a senior technical role within a small and highly collaborative Design team. You will lead the technical delivery of engineering projects while remaining actively involved in product design and development. Working closely with the Engineering Manager, you will also provide support and technical guidance where required and help maintain high engineering standards across the department.
Success in this role requires a proactive engineer who enjoys solving technical challenges, working across multiple disciplines, and supporting projects from concept through manufacture and into production.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the technical delivery of engineering projects from concept through detailed design, manufacture, and customer approval.
- Produce high-quality 3D CAD models, manufacturing drawings, and engineering documentation using SolidWorks.
- Review engineering drawings and designs to ensure accuracy, quality, and compliance with company and customer requirements.
- Provide technical guidance and mentoring to the Design Engineer, supporting their development and maintaining engineering best practice.
- Act as a technical point of contact for customers, attending design reviews and project meetings.
- Work closely with Production, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure designs are practical, manufacturable, and cost-effective.
- Support prototype builds, first-off manufacture, and the resolution of production engineering issues.
- Prepare / review Bills of Materials if applicable, manage engineering changes, and design documentation.
- Support quotation activities, technical feasibility studies, and new product development.
- Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, helping strengthen engineering standards, drawing quality, and design processes.
- Assist with root cause investigations and implementation of corrective actions where design improvements are required.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Essential Requirements
- Degree, HNC, or HND in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- Significant experience in mechanical product design within the rail industry or another highly regulated engineering sector.
- Proven experience delivering engineering projects from concept through manufacture.
- Advanced SolidWorks experience, including complex assemblies and detailed manufacturing drawings.
- Strong understanding of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA).
- Experience working closely with manufacturing teams to resolve production engineering challenges.
- Experience leading technical discussions with customers and participating in design reviews.
- Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and make sound engineering decisions with minimal supervision.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Desirable Experience
Experience in one or more of the following would be advantageous:
- Passenger door systems or rail interior products, bonded assemblies, aluminium fabrications, and lightweight structures.
- Engineering stress calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
- Configuration control and engineering change management.
- Knowledge of rail standards such as EN 15085, EN 45545-2, GMRT2100, EN 17460.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who combines strong technical ability with a practical, collaborative approach. You'll enjoy working directly with customers, supporting colleagues, and solving real engineering challenges on the shop floor as well as in the design office. You'll be comfortable taking ownership of projects, making informed engineering decisions, and helping develop the capability of a small but ambitious Engineering team. This role would suit an experienced engineer who enjoys the variety and responsibility that comes with working in a growing engineering business, where you can make a visible contribution to both product development and the future direction of the Engineering function.
Why Join TRB?
At TRB, you'll have the opportunity to work on technically challenging products for leading rail customers while seeing your ideas progress rapidly from concept to manufacture. Unlike larger organisations, you'll have direct involvement with customers, suppliers, and production teams, giving you genuine influence over engineering decisions and product development. As part of the Kineco Group, you'll also have the opportunity to contribute to new product development and support the continued growth of a business investing in its engineering capability.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your CV along with a covering letter outlining your relevant skills, experience, and suitability for the role to trbls.hr@trbls.com
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills