Principal Mechanical Engineer

Become the technical lead for a growing British engineering business.

PSS is a specialist manufacturer and remanufacturer of steering, driveline and hydraulic components, supplying OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, global vehicle manufacturers, aftermarket distributors, defence organisations and industrial customers worldwide.

As part of our continued growth and long‑term succession planning, we are looking for an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer to become the senior technical authority within our engineering function.

This is a hands‑on technical engineering role rather than a traditional management position
. We are looking for someone who enjoys understanding how products work, investigating why they fail and developing practical solutions to repair, improve, reverse engineer or redesign them.

You will provide technical leadership across our growing remanufacturing operation and established manufacturing activities, working closely with Manufacturing, Remanufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Sales and Production.

Your work will be varied and could see you investigating a failed steering or hydraulic component one day, developing a new remanufacturing process the next, and designing a bespoke mechanical product in Solid Works shortly afterwards.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing day‑to‑day technical support across manufacturing and remanufacturing
• Investigating component failures and leading root‑cause and warranty investigations
• Developing repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing methods for new product lines
• Reverse engineering obsolete or unsupported mechanical components
• Designing hydraulic cylinders, steering columns, steering pumps and bespoke mechanical products using Solid Works
• Producing 3D models, manufacturing drawings, Bills of Materials and engineering documentation
• Carrying out engineering calculations including force, stress, torque, flow and power
• Supporting prototype manufacture, testing and product validation
• Advising on machining methods, materials, heat treatments, coatings and manufacturing processes
• Developing test methods, fixtures and engineering processes
• Supporting new OEM and customer remanufacturing programmes
• Working directly with OEM engineering teams, customers and suppliers to develop technical solutions
• Maintaining engineering drawings, technical standards and configuration control
• Helping develop our capability in electronically controlled automotive products, including electric power steering systems

We are primarily interested in finding an experienced, practical mechanical engineer with strong engineering fundamentals and excellent problem‑solving ability.

You should have:

• HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical engineering experience
• Significant mechanical engineering experience within manufacturing, automotive, hydraulics, off‑highway, defence, heavy engineering or a related sector
• Strong Solid Works or equivalent 3D CAD experience
• Experience designing mechanical or hydraulic components for manufacture
• A good understanding of CNC machining, fabrication and assembly processes
• Strong knowledge of engineering drawings and geometric tolerancing
• Good knowledge of materials, heat treatments, coatings and surface finishes
• A practical understanding of hydraulic systems and mechanical power transmission
• The confidence to work directly with customers, suppliers, production teams and OEM engineers

Experience in remanufacturing, overhaul, repair engineering, steering systems, hydraulic cylinders, pumps, driveline components or reverse engineering would be particularly valuable.

An appreciation of automotive electronics, PCBs or electronically controlled automotive systems would also be advantageous as we continue to develop our…