Hays
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer
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Senior Design Engineer - Aerospace & Defence
Location: Dundee, Glasgow, Greater London or Remote (UK)
Salary: £40,000 - £50,000
Eligibility: UK Citizens Only (Defence Sector Requirement)
A leading engineering manufacturer operating within the Aerospace & Defence sector is seeking an experienced Senior Design Engineer to join its growing product development team.
This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of the design and development of highly engineered interconnect solutions used in mission-critical military and aerospace applications. Working within a multidisciplinary engineering environment, you will play a key role in bringing innovative products from concept through to production, supporting both new product development and the continued improvement of existing technologies. The successful candidate will have a proven background in aerospace, defence or other highly regulated industries, coupled with strong mechanical design expertise and a passion for solving complex engineering challenges.
About the Role
As a Senior Design Engineer, you will be responsible for leading the development of advanced interconnect solutions, including cable assemblies, connectors, contacts, and associated components. You will work closely with manufacturing, quality, project management, and customer stakeholders to ensure products meet demanding technical and regulatory requirements.
This position can be based in Dundee, Glasgow, Greater London, or undertaken on a fully remote basis within the UK, with occasional travel to company facilities or customer sites when required. Due to the nature of the projects and customers supported by the business, applicants must be UK citizens and eligible to work within the UK defence sector.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and development of advanced interconnect solutions for aerospace and defence applications.
- Create detailed 2D and 3D CAD models, drawings, and technical documentation.
- Design and develop connectors, contacts, insulators, cabling systems, and latching mechanisms.
- Support complex product development programmes from concept through to production.
- Coordinate prototype manufacture and testing with internal teams and external suppliers.
- Lead technical design reviews, presenting calculations, simulations, test results, and engineering justifications.
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, including manufacturing readiness and tooling development.
- Provide technical expertise for existing products, identifying improvements and resolving engineering challenges.
- Develop and execute validation and verification testing programmes.
- Conduct engineering risk assessments, FMEA activities, and reliability analyses in line with AS9100 standards.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful project delivery.
- Support customer and stakeholder technical discussions where required.
- Undertake occasional UK and international travel.
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Essential Skills & Experience
- Degree qualified in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- Minimum 5 years' experience within the Aerospace, Defence, Military, or other highly regulated engineering sectors.
- Strong experience with 3D CAD software, ideally SolidWorks.
- Working knowledge of FEA and simulation tools such as ANSYS or equivalent.
- Understanding of engineering materials including polymers, metals, and specialist coatings.
- Knowledge of electrical engineering principles relevant to cable and connector design.
- Experience developing products from concept through to successful market introduction.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
Desirable Experience
Candidates with experience in any of the following areas will be highly advantageous:
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- Aerospace or military interconnect systems.
- Fibre optic and coaxial connector technology.
- High-frequency RF applications up to 40GHz.
- Digital signal transmission and transmission line theory.
- Rapid prototyping and prototype development.
- PCB assembly processes, including SMT, Pick & Place, and Reflow technologies.
- BGA (Ball Grid Array) applications and electronics packaging.
- Defence, ESA, NASA, or other high-reliability electronics programmes.
- Root Cause Analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies.
- Project planning and risk management techniques.
- AS9100 and ISO9001 quality management systems.
- FMEA and reliability engineering methods.
Personal Attributes
- Innovative and solutions-driven approach to engineering challenges.
- Strong technical leadership capability.
- Customer-focused with a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions.
- Effective communicator and team collaborator.
- Highly organised and detail-oriented.
- Comfortable making decisions in complex environments where information may be incomplete.
- Committed to continuous learning and professional development.
What's on Offer
- Opportunity to work on cutting-edge aerospace and defence programmes.
- Flexible working arrangements, including remote working options.
- Career progression within a technically advanced engineering environment.
- Exposure to innovative technologies and complex engineering challenges.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
Please note: Due to export control and security requirements associated with defence-related projects, only UK citizens can be considered for this position. Sponsorship is not available.
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