Principal Mechanical Engineer in Cambridge

Xylem is a Fortune 500 water technology company with approximately 23,000 employees in over 100 countries and a mission to help our customers solve water problems and challenges through innovative technology solutions and expertise. We are the world's leading provider of efficient, innovative, and sustainable water technologies that ensure water is used sustainably, optimally managed, conserved, and reused.

Sentec, a Xylem brand, seeks to hire a Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead our talented mechanical engineering skill group. As Principal, you will lead a mechanical engineering team on high-value, technically challenging projects, both internal to Xylem and for external clients. You will own mechanical architecture and key technical decisions and act as a subject-matter expert in mechanical design, materials, and manufacturing. You will deliver innovative mechanical solutions from early concept through detailed design, industrialisation, and validation testing. You will work directly with Xylem partners and external clients to understand requirements and translate them into robust engineering solutions, contribute to project planning, technical reporting, and support proposal writing, technical scoping, and effort estimation.

As a senior colleague, you will mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers and scientists, foster a collaborative, high-performance engineering culture, and set engineering best practices. You will also be responsible for supporting project management as well as business development activities under the guidance of the respective teams. The position is largely based in our Cambridge office; however, you will have the opportunity for some travel, which could be UK-wide, within Europe, the United States, or the Far East.

At Sentec, you will be working in a rapidly evolving industry at an exciting time for technologists developing solutions in multiple sectors with a strong emphasis on sustainability. In order to be successful, you will need to demonstrate leadership in pursuit of technical solutions and novel ideas, have a hands-on approach to problem-solving, and ultimately manage projects against time, budget, and client expectations. This role combines hands-on engineering, technical decision-making, project and team leadership within a fast-paced consultancy environment spanning multiple sectors, working towards deadlines and delivering excellent technical solutions. You will be required to communicate effectively in a wide range of environments, both with colleagues and clients, and will have the opportunity to develop your negotiation skills and expand your technical knowledge.

Minimum Qualifications: Education, Experience, Skills, Abilities, License/Certification:

• Extensive experience (10+ years) in mechanical engineering / product development
• Experience in people leadership, preferably in mechanical engineering
• Strong 3D CAD capability (principally Creo but SolidWorks also advantageous)
• Proven experience taking products from concept to manufacture
• Hands-on experience making parts and building prototypes
• Experience dealing with 3rd party suppliers such as engineering workshops, plastic fabricators, hardware suppliers
• Excellent understanding of materials, tolerancing, and manufacturing processes
• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams (physics, electronics, software)
• Minimum 2/1 Degree (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline

Desirable Skills/Knowledge:

• Background in consultancy or contract R&D environments
• Experience with machinery such as lathes and milling machines
• Experience with 3D printing, both internal and bureau
• Experience in one or more sectors such as:
• Sensing technology such as optical, magnetic, ultrasonic
• Consumer and industrial products
• Scientific instrumentation
• Water infrastructure
• Sustainable energy
• Knowledge of regulatory or quality systems (e.g. ISO 13485, ISO 9001)
• Experience with FEA, thermal analysis, or other simulation

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Regularly required to sit or stand, reach, bend, and move about the facility.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Office: Standard office equipment; work usually performed in an office or site laboratory setting. Estimated 10% or less travel requirement. Standard weekly job hours: 37.5 hours.

Benefits Include:

• Competitive salaries
• Holiday of 25 days per year, increases with length of service
• Group life cover at 4 times basic salary
• Private health care
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme
• Relocation expenses as appropriate
• Annual performance and merit process
• Discretionary 10% All staff bonus scheme
• Employee referral bonus scheme
• Access to flexible benefits including cycle to work, critical illness cover, and green car leasing
• Flexible and remote working

Join the global Xylem team and shape innovative technology solutions that ensure the sustainable use, availability, protection, and sustainable use of water. Our products are used in public utilities, industry, residential, and commercial buildings – aiming to provide intelligent machines, systems, measurement technologies, networking technologies, and advanced analytics for water, power, and gas utilities as well as industry.