Principal Mechanical Engineer in Southampton

Taking a leading role in overseeing mechanical engineering activities within the department. Taking ownership of the mechanical design for state‑of‑the‑art laser products and related equipment. Ensuring delivery of complete mechanical solutions within project timelines, budget, and technical requirements. Overseeing development from research/feasibility through to production release, working within a multidisciplinary team to create successful products.

Primary Responsibilities

• Responsible for mechanical development for laser products throughout the entire product lifecycle.
• Explore the range of options for new concepts and designs, drive initial feasibility, and evaluate them for product development.
• Form new and innovative design concepts.
• Support prototype assembly and testing, and drive design improvements.
• Ensure product compliance and certification according to industry standards.
• Take lead in establishing and shaping engineering best practices and processes within the department, aligning with other sites globally.
• Collaborate within projects, responding to specifications or concerns.
• Interact with project and product stakeholders and communicate information clearly across the organisation.
• Define plans and coordinate mechanical work packages.
• Ensure documentation, Bill of Materials management, and release of all work via company systems; contribute to identifying gaps and maturing these systems.
• Take lead on multiple mechanical work packages across several projects.
• Collaborate with the wider engineering team across multiple disciplines.
• Manage work allocation for mechanical team members, external contractors, and suppliers.
• Identify skills shortages within the team, facilitate recruitment, and/or seek external partners for support.
• Arrange training, mentoring, and line management of other team members when required.

Key Interactions

• Engineering managers
• Project managers
• Global System Integration Group
• Commercial team
• Operations
• Finance

Leadership Expectations

• Responsible for implementing department goals and objectives into team‑level goals and KPIs. Set goals and KPIs.
• Manage human resource priorities and initiatives, report progress, advise on policy, and monitor policy compliance.
• Manage human resource plans, KPIs, and budgets.
• Guide management on organisational expectations.
• Identify and address gaps in capability.
• Lead mechanical team working practices and processes.
• Manage delivery of project work packages and improvement initiatives, coordinating the work of other engineers and external partners.
• Lead as an individual contributor and subject‑matter expert in collaboration with other disciplines.
• Manage own projects when required.

Qualifications Required

• A relevant engineering degree.
• Further specialist tertiary studies or equivalent experience.
• Ability to lead product development in mechanics.
• Expertise in mechanical design and drawing standards for precision machined and sheet metal parts.
• Some SolidWorks expertise.
• Skilled at communicating and collaborating with management, other engineering disciplines, and team members.
• High level of attention to detail and commitment to quality and reliability.
• Hands‑on practical skills and knowledge of state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing methods.
• Finite element analysis or flow simulation expertise is advantageous.
• Strong organisational skills to handle multiple concurrent activities.
• Collaboration and listening skills.
• Ability to work with resilience in dynamic situations.

Experience Required

• Greater than 10 years of experience in mechanical design of hi‑tech equipment over the complete product life cycle.
• Experience and knowledge of optical systems or lasers is desirable.
• Experience of working with external partners and in a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Global‑sized organisational experience.

Travel Expectations

• Approximately 10% annually or less, mostly within Europe, potentially globally.