Junior Mechanical Engineer

THE LAST FRONTIER

Arctic Research and Development (ARD) was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox - an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence - is why we exist.

Our solution is autonomy.

We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don't always have to.

Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.

ARD is growing and we’re looking for a Junior Mechanical Engineer to support the design, build and deployment of our ruggedized hardware products - from-field ready energy systems to autonomous surface and subsurface platforms.

You’ll join our mechanical engineering team, which designs, builds and tests the hardware that has to operate reliably in the Arctic. You’ll report to our Lead Mechanical Engineer and work closely with our Mechanical Engineer and CTO. You’ll start hands-on, building and testing units, then feed what you learn back into design updates. Within your first 6-12 months, your work will let us build and test properly, and expand bandwidth to launch further products in parallel.

* Please note:

this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship *

• Build and assemble product units through our first multi-unit production run, taking on hands‑on workshop tasks to get units completed to standard and on schedule.

• Run test phases alongside each build and record the results, so issues are found and fixed before units reach customers.

• Turn what you learn on the workshop floor into design improvements, working with our Senior Mechanical Engineer on updates to parts and assemblies.

• Produce engineering drawings and CAD models, and carry out the calculations on loads and forces that support design decisions.

• Move on to additional products once builds of our current product are established, applying the same build, test and improvement cycle.

You’re a mechanical engineer who understands a design best by building it. You’re happy doing practical work in the workshop, and you want to grow into design engineering, using what you learn hands‑on to make the next version better. You might be coming from an engineering degree apprenticeship, a graduate development programme, or a technician or shop‑floor role where you’ve started taking on design work.

• A degree in mechanical engineering (BEng or above), a completed engineering degree apprenticeship, or equivalent engineering training.

• Hands‑on experience building, assembling or fabricating mechanical assemblies in a workshop or production setting.

• Ability to understand how forces and loads act on a design and carry out engineering hand calculations.

• Ability to produce engineering drawings and 3D models in CAD.

• Willingness to make practical build and technician work a core part of your role, alongside design work.

• Comfortable owning tasks on a project with guidance from senior engineers, and raising problems early when a build or test doesn't go to plan.

• Experience planning or running physical tests on mechanical hardware and writing up the results.

• Experience building products in small batches or repeat runs, rather than one-off prototypes.

As our business scales into the defense and security sectors, the responsibilities of this role are expected to…