Product Design Engineer

Job Title
:
Product Design Engineer

Location
:
Glasgow (Hybrid - 3 days on site)

Department
:
Engineering

Hours
:
Monday - Friday (40 hours p/w)

This is a busy, varied role within our Engineering team with a high level of autonomy and responsibility, centred on the design and engineering of our products. Reporting to the Head of Engineering, the role includes the strategic development, design iteration, and management of the business's product range, from initial concept through to market launch and ongoing lifecycle support. This is a key role in a critical part of our business where you will have the opportunity to make a real difference in the environments where our products are used, ensuring they are not only functional but also intuitive, empathetic, and aesthetically considered.

• Lead the design and development of new products and significant product enhancements, from ideation and concept generation through to detailed design and prototyping.
• Champion user‑centric design methodologies throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring a deep understanding of user needs, behaviours, and pain points within the mental health sector.
• Facilitate product and process improvement projects through iterative design and redesigns, focusing on enhancing user experience, manufacturability, and overall product quality.
• Conduct design research and analysis to inform product decisions, including competitor analysis, material exploration, and trend identification.
• Develop and refine product specifications, collaborating closely with cross‑functional teams (e.g., engineering, operations, marketing) to translate user insights and business requirements into tangible design solutions.
• Ensure the product range is compliant with the latest regulations, such as fire and acoustics, to relevant British standards. This includes facilitating external testing with relevant bodies.
• Design and build test plans for products, specifically incorporating user testing and voice of the customer to validate design decisions.
• Create technical documentation and processes to be used by the wider business, external partners, and customers, ensuring clarity and user‑friendliness in operating procedures, installation instructions, how‑to guides, and operation and maintenance manuals.
• Support set up product manufacturing processes with external suppliers and support ongoing manufacturing activities, ensuring design intent is maintained through production.
• Resolve technical issues with products using a root cause analysis (RCA) approach, often informing design revisions.
• Main workflows include:
  User Research & Concept Generation, Product Design & Development, Design Validation & Testing, Documentation creation, Supporting product technical requests, and product configuration management.

• Proven experience in designing and developing products, with a strong portfolio showcasing your design process and outcomes.
• Demonstrable expertise in user‑centric design methodologies (e.g., design thinking, user research, rapid prototyping, usability testing) and their practical application in product development.
• A strong understanding of the end‑to‑end design process, from concept and ideation through to detailed engineering and manufacturing.
• Excellent knowledge of various manufacturing processes such as injection moulding, casting, sheet metal fabrication, machining, and extrusions, with an eye for design for manufacturability (DFM) and assembly (DFA).
• Proficiency in 3D CAD software (Solidworks strongly preferred), with the ability to create complex models and technical drawings that communicate design intent effectively.
• Comfortable creating and managing Bill of Materials, with an understanding of how design choices impact cost and complexity.
• Experience with design and process evaluation methods, including Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) or similar, applied to design risk assessment.
• Strong prototyping and fabrication skills, comfortable in a workshop environment to rapidly bring design concepts to life for testing and iteration.
• Experience with change management processes, including design approvals, with…