Mechanical Engineer; m​/f​/d

Key Responsibilities

Design for Manufacture & Production Readiness

• Embed design-for-manufacture (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) thinking throughout the design process, proactively considering machinability, inspection accessibility, assembly sequence, and tolerance stack-up from the earliest stages
• Engage proactively and often with the production engineering team to sense-check designs against manufacturing capability, raising and resolving producibility concerns before formal drawing release
• Prepare complete and formally controlled design packages for job order handover, including fully detailed drawings with appropriate GD&T, complete BOMs with material specifications and bought-in part references, and any necessary manufacturing notes or special process requirements
• Generation of production and assembly procedures and related documentation necessary to raise job orders for production
• Lead or support production readiness reviews (PRRs), presenting design intent, critical features, and known risks to the production team in a structured and accessible way
• Own drawing and model revisions arising from production queries, non-conformances, or concession requests, turning them around promptly to minimise disruption to the production schedule

Mechanical Design & Analysis

• Develop detailed 3D CAD models and 2D engineering drawings of hybrid rocket motor components including combustion chambers, fuel grain housings, oxidiser injectors, nozzle assemblies and structural interfaces
• Define appropriate materials, surface treatments, and joining methods for components operating in the demanding thermal, chemical, and mechanical environment of a hybrid rocket motor
• Support the creation and maintenance of design requirement documents, interface control documents (ICDs), and design justification reports as required

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work as an active member of the propulsion team alongside propulsion engineers, systems engineers, and test engineers, ensuring quality mechanical design
• Liaise with external suppliers and subcontractors on manufactured and bought-in components, providing clear technical briefs and reviewing supplier drawings and quality documentation
• Coordinate with the procurement team on lead times, material availability, and alternative sourcing options for critical components

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering (BEng minimum; MEng or MSc preferred)
• Proven experience (typically 2–6 years) in detailed mechanical design and drawing release within an engineering environment, ideally aerospace, defence, or high-performance mechanical systems
• Practical familiarity with metallic and composite manufacturing processes — including CNC milling and turning, filament winding, and hand lamination — with an understanding of how each process constrains and informs design decisions around geometry, tolerancing, fibre orientation, and surface finish
• High proficiency in 3D parametric CAD (e.g. CATIA, Siemens NX, Solid Works, or Creo) and production of fully detailed manufacturing drawings to recognised standards
• Strong command of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T / BS 8888 or ASME Y14.5) and tolerance analysis methods
• Experience preparing complete design packages for handover to a manufacturing or production team, and an understanding of what constitutes a truly production-ready drawing release
• Familiarity with engineering change management processes and working within a controlled PDM or PLM environment

• Direct experience designing components for rocket motors, jet engines, gas turbines, or other high-temperature, high-pressure propulsion systems
• Knowledge of hybrid or solid propellant systems, oxidiser feed system design, nozzle aerothermodynamics, or combustion chamber structural design
• Familiarity with pressure vessel design codes (e.g. PD 5500, ASME BPVC) or structural analysis in accordance with ECSS or MIL standards
• Hands‑on experience with machined metallic components, knowing how design choices translate into real machining operations, tooling constraints, and inspection challenges
• Exposure to composite structure design or non‑metallic…