Technical Engineering Manager

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Cogent is looking for an experienced, practical engineer to become the technical driving force behind our growing business.

This isn't a role where you'll spend your day managing a team from behind a desk.

You'll be designing new products, solving complex engineering challenges, supporting vehicle development, working alongside production and helping bring innovative accessible transport solutions to market.

If you enjoy variety, ownership and seeing your ideas become reality, we'd like to hear from you.

Cogent is a specialist UK vehicle seating and conversions company, designing and manufacturing innovative accessible transport solutions for the bus, coach and specialist vehicle sectors.

We're entering an exciting period of growth with new vehicle platforms, lightweight engineering products and significant investment in future technologies. Engineering sits at the heart of everything we do.

As our Technical Engineer, you'll become the company's principal technical authority, working directly with the Managing Director to develop new products, solve engineering challenges and support every stage of the product lifecycle.

This is a genuinely varied position where no two days are the same.

One day you may be designing a new seating system in CAD. The next you could be preparing a vehicle for VCA testing, solving a production issue on the workshop floor, or developing an engineering solution for a customer.

You'll be trusted to take ownership of technical decisions and help shape the future direction of our products.

• Design and develop new vehicle and seating products from concept through to production.
• Produce high‑quality 3D CAD models, assemblies and manufacturing drawings.
• Support vehicle homologation, compliance and VCA witnessed testing.
• Prepare vehicles and seating systems for structural testing and validation.
• Develop practical engineering solutions for production and installation challenges.
• Investigate technical issues and implement effective corrective actions.
• Work closely with production, purchasing and suppliers to improve product quality and manufacturability.
• Produce engineering documentation, technical files and design records.
• Support continuous improvement across engineering and manufacturing.
• Lead technical problem solving throughout the business.

• Is an experienced mechanical or vehicle engineer.
• Enjoys solving practical engineering problems.
• Is equally comfortable using CAD software and working on the workshop floor.
• Can work independently and take ownership of projects.
• Has excellent attention to detail.
• Thinks commercially as well as technically.
• Communicates confidently with colleagues, suppliers and customers.
• Takes pride in delivering high‑quality engineering solutions.
• Manufacturing processes.
• Practical engineering and fault finding.
• Design for manufacture.
• Root cause analysis and problem solving.

• Bus and coach engineering.
• Automotive or commercial vehicles.
• Specialist vehicle manufacturing.
• Vehicle homologation.
• Vehicle testing and validation.
• Seating systems.
• Structural testing.
• Electrical systems.
• Fabrication and welding.

• The opportunity to influence the direction of a growing engineering business.
• Responsibility for exciting product development projects.
• A varied role with real technical ownership.
• Direct access to senior decision‑makers.
• The chance to see your ideas progress from concept through to production.
• A supportive and collaborative working environment.

This isn't a corporate engineering position with layers of management and narrow responsibilities. We're looking for someone who enjoys being involved in every aspect of engineering.

You'll design products, solve problems, improve manufacturing, support testing and help shape the future of our business.

If you're the type of engineer who enjoys rolling your sleeves up and finding solutions, you'll fit in well at Cogent.

If you're looking for a role where your decisions genuinely matter, we'd love to hear from you.