Principal Mechanical Engineer

SEA; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in the UK is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Team Lead responsible for managing mechanical activities within a medium-sized team. This role involves ensuring effective task management and collaborative communication across engineering functions. Candidates should possess in-depth knowledge of mechanical hardware design, as well as military and commercial standards. The company offers flexible working arrangements, competitive salary, and numerous benefits including health insurance and 25 days annual leave.

Benefits

Private medical health insurance

Employee Assistance Program

25 days’ annual leave

Cycle to work scheme

Group Pension Plan with up to 7% employer contribution

Qualifications

• Ability to lead mechanical activities with effective task management.
• Experience in providing support on risk management and progress reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical activities ensuring task management and prioritization.
• Ensure communication within the Mechanical Engineering team and stakeholders.
• Conduct detailed design, analysis, and generate technical documentation.
• Support problem investigations and deliver effective solutions.
• Line management for the team, including development discussions.

Skills

In-depth knowledge of mechanical hardware design

Knowledge of Military and Commercial Mechanical & Environmental design standards

Experience in detailed and system level design

Understanding of best practice Mechanical design processes

Working towards chartered status (Chartered Engineer preferred)

Job description

About The Role

Engineered to Protect, that’s our promise, we protect what matters - our nations, our waters, our land, our cities, our people, our environment, our world.

As Mechanical Engineering Team Lead you'll lead mechanical activities ensuring effective task management and prioritization for a medium sized team of Mechanical specialists for a range work of varying complexities. You'll play a critical role in ensuring the technical quality of design, testing, manufacturing and in-service support of mechanical hardware for commercial and military applications.

You’ll provide support and guidance to the wider project team on tasking, risk management, estimates and progress reporting to ensure that key project milestones are met.

The Mechanical Engineering Team Lead can be based at any of our three sites, Barnstaple, Beckington, or Bristol. This role allows for flexible working with a minimal expectation of 3 days per week in Barnstaple.

The salary for this role is £62k, depending on experience.

What you'll be doing

• Ensure clear communication and collaboration within the Mechanical Engineering project team, other engineering functions and project stakeholders.
• Provide leadership and technical direction / task management to ensure delivery of mechanical engineering solutions on-time, on-cost and on-quality.
• Conduct mechanical engineering detailed design, analysis, tolerance studies (including GD&T) and generation of technical documentation (design specifications, test specifications etc) and manufacturing data packs (MDP) to relevant standards including BS8888.
• Support problem investigations and deliver effective solutions.
• Line management for your team, including development discussions and regular 1:1 meetings.

About our company

At SEA, we develop and deliver advanced solutions to make our world safer, cleaner and more efficient. We provide state‑of‑the‑art applications for naval ship and fleet protection, and undersea surveillance systems. In‑service across the globe, our systems deliver a rapid response to threats and system effectiveness and interoperation. Our systems support an ever‑growing number of navies across the world, and we continue to bolster our already specialist, on‑the‑ground knowledge of key overseas markets.

What we offer

At our core, we encourage innovation, flexibility and out‑of‑the‑box thinking to solve problems, so we’re always looking for talented, flexible, and creative people to bring their best to SEA. In return we offer generous rewards, a fantastic work/life balance, and excellent career and training opportunities for everyone who joins.

Work life balance

• Hybrid/flexible working arrangements
• 25 days’ annual leave, plus buy and sell
• Up to 16 days flexi leave accrual
• Half day Fridays
• Reservists in the Armed Forces receive special paid leave

Family & wellbeing

• Private medical health insurance & Employee Assistance Program
• All Staff Bonus
• Group Pension Plan of up to 7% employer contribution
• Cycle to work scheme
• Wellbeing Centre
• Sports & Social activities
• Employee Discounts portal - online and in-store discounts, travel savings
• Life assurance policy
• Publication and recruitment bonus rewards
• Development opportunities, including LinkedIn learning

Facilities & resources

• Electric vehicle charging points at all sites
• Private seated lunch areas
• Onsite bistro (Barnstaple office) and free hot and cold beverages
• Onsite showers and toiletries provision
• Free onsite parking

The skills you need

• In‑depth knowledge of the design, test, manufacture and in‑service support of Mechanical hardware in both the commercial and military environments.
• Thorough knowledge Of Military and Commercial Mechanical & Environmental design standards including Def Stans, Mil Specs, CE/UKCA marking.
• Significant experience in the detailed and system level design of hardware.
• Detailed understanding of best practice Mechanical design process and metrics.
• Chartered Engineer — or working towards chartered status is preferable.

Join us and be part of something smaller - with 500 people in the UK and Canada - doing something bigger: protecting what matters.

If you’d like to know more, please give Kelly from our Talent Acquisition Team a call on 03330 414300. Or reach out to us on [e-mail]