At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead mechanical design from CAD to deployment, ensuring practical manufacturing and assembly.
- Company: Future Greens, innovating anaerobic digestion technology for sustainable waste management.
- Benefits: Salary from £60,000, equity, pension, 28 days leave, and growth opportunities.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team with opportunities for networking and professional development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by turning innovative designs into scalable products in a fast-paced environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in industrial equipment design, strong CAD skills, and knowledge of fabrication methods.
The predicted salary is between 42750 - 52250 £ per year.
We're looking for a senior mechanical design engineer to turn our anaerobic digestion technology into a product we can manufacture repeatedly and at scale.
You will be joining our core team to bring our innovation to market, overseeing the deployments of our first brewery systems and building a manufacturing blueprint for every unit that follows.
About Future Greens
Anaerobic digestion has existed for decades, but conventional systems are too big and expensive to fit next to food and drink factories, making it unfeasible to turn their waste into biogas.
We've developed a faster anaerobic digestion process designed to reduce the space needed for on-site waste treatment and biogas production.
This enables food factories to cut their waste costs and reduce their reliance on fossil-derived natural gas.
We're starting with breweries that have concentrated waste streams and a high gas demand.
Once proven here, we plan to scale it across the whole food and drink sector and the wider bioeconomy to help all industries that produce biodegradable byproducts.
We've demonstrated the process in the lab, ran a pilot, applied for a patent and lined up customers for full-scale systems.
We are now turning this technology into equipment we can manufacture and deploy repeatedly.
The impact of your role
You will be joining after our seed round, as we move towards our first commercial deployments.
As our Lead Mechanical Design Engineer, you will lead mechanical design from CAD through to deployment, working with fabricators and installation partners responsible for building and installing the systems.
Your role is to ensure the designs are practical to manufacture and assemble, and to resolve engineering issues as they arise.
- What you will work on
- Design reactor equipment in CAD, considering materials, fabrication methods and assembly from the outset.
- Establish design workflows and select the software tools to support them.
- Build and maintain a bill of materials (BOM) cost model to compare design options against target unit costs.
- Assess fabricators and suppliers, source components and qualify manufacturing partners.
- Oversee fabrication, assembly and installation of the first brewery systems, working with the wider engineering team.
- Turn deployment feedback into clear, repeatable design specifications.
- Simplify designs for manufacture at scale, removing unnecessary cost and complexity.
What we're looking for
You have designed industrial equipment and understand what happens when a design meets the realities of fabrication, assembly and cost.
We want to hear about the decisions you made, the trade-offs involved and what you learned from seeing your equipment get built.
Relevant skills and experience include
- Responsibility for mechanical design from initial concept through to build. There is no minimum number of years: what you have designed and delivered matters more.
- Strong mechanical design and CAD skills.
- Practical knowledge of materials, fabrication methods and assembly, with a track record of designing for manufacture.
- Experience building BOM cost models or designing to a cost target.
- Direct work with fabricators and suppliers, including sourcing and qualification.
- An interest in using AI tools to improve engineering workflows.
- A hands-on approach and the confidence to make and explain engineering decisions as the product develops.
Relevant backgrounds include working with tanks, vessels, tankers, skid-mounted process equipment, modular or containerised systems and other fabricated industrial equipment.
Experience in a fabrication design office or taking a new product into repeatable production would also be valuable.
We're not looking for an exact path, but the skills and motivation to develop practical designs and follow them through to a working system.
Who you will work with
Our four co-founders bring experience across engineering, control systems, AI, finance and commercial operations.
You will join us alongside new team members in process safety, automation, controls, mechanical engineering and R&D.
Process and anaerobic digestion expertise sits within the wider team, and a second Mechanical Engineer will assist you in sizing process equipment.
What we offer
- Salary from £60,000, plus equity.
- A workplace pension and 28 days of paid annual leave.
- Responsibility for the mechanical design of a new industrial product, with direct input into how it is built.
- A path to leading our manufacturing team as we scale.
- A fast-learning environment where you will see your designs built within months and get to improve them with each iteration.
- Opportunity to grow your network by attending industry conferences and innovation summits.
- This is an on-site role based in London, with occasional travel to fabricators and brewery customers.
Supporting builds and deployments may occasionally require work outside normal working hours.
- Flexible start between February and April 2027.
How to apply
If you don't match every point but have designed industrial equipment with manufacturing in mind, we'd love to hear from you.
Please share a few lines on your relevant experience together with your CV. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Lead Mechanical Design Engineer (Design for Manufacture) employer: Future Greens
Future Greens is an attractive employer due to its commitment to sustainability and innovation in waste management technology. Employees have the chance to work on impactful projects that contribute to environmental conservation while enjoying a collaborative work culture. The company also provides opportunities for professional development in a rapidly evolving industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Mechanical Design Engineer (Design for Manufacture)
✨Get Your Hands Dirty at Engineering Events
Join local engineering meetups or industry conferences related to mechanical engineering. Whether it's a workshop or a career fair, these events are goldmines for networking and getting a foot in the door. Plus, you can showcase your passion and enthusiasm directly to potential employers like Future Greens.
✨Connect with Professors & Peers
Tap into your university’s resources—professors often have connections in the industry. Don’t be shy to ask about potential openings or recommendations. Your classmates might also know of companies hiring. Often, it’s who you know that gets you in front of the right people!
✨Highlight Your Projects and Practical Experience
When you land those interviews, make sure to talk about your hands-on projects or internships. Whether it's a design project or hands-on experience with CAD software, specific examples will make you stand out. Companies like Future Greens love to hear about practical applications of your skills.
✨Apply Directly on Company Websites
Check out the careers page of Future Greens and apply directly through there. It shows initiative and interest in their specific values. Plus, you'll often find openings that aren't advertised on job boards, giving you a better chance to land that full-time gig!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Mechanical Design Engineer (Design for Manufacture)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Technical Expertise:In mechanical engineering, it’s vital to highlight your technical skills and projects. Make sure to include relevant software proficiency (like CAD tools) in your CV. If you've worked on specific engineering projects, detail your key contributions — we want to see how you’ve applied your skills in a practical setting!
Focus on Problem-Solving Examples:Employers in mechanical engineering love to see how you handle challenges. Use your cover letter to share specific instances where you’ve solved a complex problem or improved a design. This will show us you're not just knowledgeable but also capable of applying that knowledge effectively.
Highlight Relevant Certifications:Include any relevant certifications or training that can set you apart from the competition. Whether it's coursework from your degree, a recognised certification, or extra training in new technologies, we love to see candidates who continuously improve their skill set. This tells us you're serious about your career in engineering!
Tailor Your CV for the Role:Don’t forget to customise your CV for Future Greens and the Lead Mechanical Design Engineer (Design for Manufacture) role specifically. Pull examples from your experience that align with the job description — it shows us you've done your research and are genuinely interested in becoming part of the team. We recommend applying through our website to ensure your application gets to the right people!
How to prepare for a job interview at Future Greens
✨Brush Up on Your CAD Skills
Since mechanical engineering often involves design processes, be ready to showcase your proficiency in CAD software like SolidWorks or AutoCAD. Bring along a digital portfolio or even some sketches that demonstrate your design capabilities — it’s a great way to show what you can bring to the table at Future Greens.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect technical questions that test your understanding of engineering principles and problem-solving skills. You might get hypothetical scenarios where you need to design a component or troubleshoot a mechanical system. Practising these types of questions will give you the confidence to tackle whatever comes your way!
✨Show Your Team Spirit
As a full-time mechanical engineer, collaboration is key! Be ready to share examples of past team projects or any experiences where you contributed to solving a complex problem with others. Demonstrating your ability to work in a team will resonate well with the interviewers at Future Greens.
✨Discuss Your Future Goals
Since this is a full-time position, your long-term vision is important. Be open about your career aspirations, whether it’s mastering a specific tool or leading projects. This shows that you're committed not just to learning but also to growing with Future Greens, making you a more appealing candidate.