Senior Electro-mechanical Design Engineer in Edinburgh

Location: Edinburgh, hybrid working

Working pattern: Full-time, with flexibility to consider a four-day working week

Salary: £65,000–£75,000 depending on experience and level of responsibility

Pension: Company contribution from 4% up to 9%

Contract: Permanent

Expected start date: September to October 2026

Probation: Six months, with an interim review after three months

Reporting to: Managing Director

Share options: Available, subject to company scheme and eligibility

Closing date: 14th August 2026

About CGEN

CGEN Engineering is a University of Edinburgh spin-out developing new high-torque, low-speed generator and motor technologies. Our initial commercial focus is the wind industry, with a beachhead in life extension and repowering projects for existing direct-drive turbines. Our core modular permanent magnet generator technology is intended to improve how large electrical machines are designed, manufactured, transported, maintained and repaired. Beyond this core product, CGEN aims to develop a wider portfolio of generator and motor topologies for applications where efficiency, maintainability, scalability and low-speed operation are critical. CGEN is a small, growing start-up with an ambitious technical roadmap, active commercial and grant-funded projects, and plans to raise further investment as we move towards larger-scale manufacturing and multi-MW field-trial activity. Our primary market is wind energy, supported by work across hydro, wave and tidal energy. We are also investigating the suitability of our technologies for marine propulsion and other emerging high-torque, low-speed applications. Training, mentoring and career development are core parts of CGEN’s approach. As the company grows, team members will have opportunities to build specialist expertise, lead major workstreams and help shape the products, engineering processes and culture of the business.

The role

CGEN Engineering Ltd is seeking a Senior Electro-mechanical Design Engineer to support the mechanical design, physical integration, manufacture and validation of its high-torque, low-speed generator and motor technologies. The role will focus on practical mechanical design, 3D CAD, tolerancing, design for manufacture and assembly, supplier engagement and the integration of rotating electrical machines. The successful candidate will take ownership of defined design work packages while working closely with CGEN’s Manufacturing Director, Technical Director, wider engineering team and external manufacturing partners. The immediate work will include supporting current commercial and grant-funded projects, developing generator designs within existing turbine and nacelle constraints for wind life-extension applications, helping standardise CGEN’s mechanical design processes, and aligning machine designs with manufacture, certification, compliance and future multi-MW field trials. This is a senior, hands-on engineering role. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute directly to detailed design and delivery, make well-supported engineering decisions, work constructively with suppliers and provide guidance to less experienced engineers where appropriate. This is an opportunity to join CGEN at an early stage and contribute directly to the design, manufacture and field demonstration of new generator and motor technologies for wind, hydro, wave, tidal and potential marine-propulsion applications.

Responsibilities

The Senior Electro-mechanical Design Engineer will support CGEN across detailed mechanical design, manufacturing integration, customer projects and the continued development of its engineering capability. Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and supporting the mechanical design and physical integration of modular generator and motor assemblies.
• Creating and maintaining 3D CAD models, assemblies, manufacturing drawings, bills of materials and technical specifications.
• Developing rotor, stator, bearing, support-frame, housing and wider machine-interface designs.
• Carrying out tolerance, fit, clearance, datum and assembly assessments for large electro-mechanical systems.
• Applying design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly principles to generator and motor components and systems.
• Developing mechanical designs within existing turbine, nacelle, drivetrain and site constraints for wind life-extension and repowering projects.
• Working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to assess manufacturing routes, quotations, constraints and proposed design changes.
• Supporting material, manufacturing-process and component selection, including consideration of cost, quality, maintainability and supply risk.
• Preparing assembly procedures, inspection requirements, build documentation and controlled technical records.
• Working with electrical, thermal, controls and manufacturing colleagues to ensure mechanical designs support electromagnetic, thermal and system requirements.
• Supporting the standardisation and formalisation of CGEN’s mechanical design, drawing and design-review processes.
• Contributing to certification, compliance, design assurance, technical risk assessment and internal engineering standards.
• Aligning machine designs with scalable manufacture, prototype builds, testing, commissioning and future multi-MW field-trial requirements.
• Supporting prototype assembly, test-rig integration, commissioning, fault investigation and design updates following manufacturing or test feedback.
• Taking ownership of agreed design work packages and communicating progress, decisions, assumptions and risks clearly.
• Providing technical review, guidance and mentoring to less experienced engineers where appropriate.

Requirements

We are looking for an experienced mechanical or electro-mechanical design engineer who combines strong detailed-design capability with the practical judgement required to take complex equipment from concept through manufacture, assembly and testing.

Essential experience and skills:

• Degree or equivalent higher-level qualification in mechanical engineering, electro-mechanical engineering, product design engineering or a closely related discipline.
• At least five years’ relevant industrial experience in mechanical or electro-mechanical design, product development or engineering delivery.
• Demonstrable experience designing complex mechanical products, rotating machinery, generators, motors or comparable engineered systems.
• Strong 3D CAD and engineering drawing capability.
• Strong understanding of tolerancing, fits, clearances, datum structures, interfaces and practical assembly constraints.
• Experience applying design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly principles.
• Experience taking designs from concept through detailed design, manufacture, assembly or testing.
• Ability to carry out or review appropriate mechanical calculations and make well-supported design decisions.
• Experience working directly with suppliers, manufacturing partners and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience preparing clear calculations, drawings, specifications, technical reports and design-review records.
• Ability to take ownership of technical work packages and balance engineering quality with cost, schedule and supplier constraints.
• Confidence communicating technical work with colleagues, customers, suppliers and project partners.
• Existing right to work in the UK.

Useful but not essential:

• Experience with generators, motors, rotating machinery or other large electro-mechanical systems.
• Experience with low-speed, high-torque equipment.
• Experience with bearing systems, support structures, fabricated assemblies, housings or large mechanical interfaces.
• Experience with structural calculations, finite-element analysis, fatigue, vibration or thermal expansion.
• Experience in wind, hydro, wave, tidal, marine, automotive or industrial machinery.
• Experience designing equipment within existing nacelle, drivetrain, vessel or site-envelope constraints.