Senior Mechanical Engineer

A little bit about us At Recycleye, we’re transforming recycling through advanced AI and automation. Our technology enables waste management companies to recover more material, more efficiently — turning waste into a valuable resource. Since launching in 2019, we’ve scaled rapidly, deploying our AI-powered sorting systems across Europe and the US. But the challenger remains enormous — globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. Our systems operate in harsh industrial environments, at high throughput, and under demanding reliability requirements. Solving these challenges requires thoughtful, robust mechanical engineering — and that’s where you come in.

Why join Recycleye? This is a rare opportunity to join a scaling hardware company at the point where strong mechanical engineering will make a huge impact. You won’t just design parts — you’ll help shape systems, define engineering standards, and build the foundations for scalable hardware deployed globally.

We offer:

• High ownership and autonomy
• Fast-paced scale‑up environment with real engineering challenges
• Opportunity to shape processes, standards, and best practices
• Exposure to full product lifecycle and customer deployments
• Hybrid working (typically 4 days in Stratford office, 1 remote)

The opportunity We’re looking for a Mechanical Engineer with 7+ years of experience to join our Production team and be the go‑to mechanical engineer for Quantisort 2.0, our next‑generation optical sorting platform. This is primarily an office‑first, hands‑on role. You’ll support PMs and integrators with Quantisort projects, resolve technical challenges, and drive continuous improvement of performance, reliability, and scalability.

Responsibilities Overview:

• Quantisort 2.0 Product Ownership
  • Act as the mechanical owner for Quantisort 2.0, driving the transition from configurable solution to standardised, off‑the‑shelf product
  • Improve repeatability of third‑party integration
  • Drive product maturity and improve robustness and serviceability
  • Develop scalable sub‑assemblies to work for any deployment without bespoke engineering
  • Work cross‑functionally with software, hardware, operations, and production teams
  • Travel to customer sites for installations and troubleshooting across Europe (once per month)
  • Lead completion of the CE marking process for Quantisort 2.0, working cross‑functionally to ensure compliance
• Production, Manufacturing & Supplier Collaboration
  • Mechanical design (3D CAD assemblies, 2D engineering drawings for fabrication, etc.) to help create solutions and retrofit our technology into client facilities across Europe
  • Create installation guidelines and compliance matrices for integrators to adhere to, enabling our product to remain standard
  • Support all stages of the project lifecycle e.g., sales scoping, client layout, build, FAT, install, SAT, commissioning, after‑care
  • Optimize designs for manufacturability, assembly, and integration (DFM/DFA)
  • Optimize build/FAT processes through tooling, testing jigs, process, and design optimisation
  • Reduce part count, simplify assemblies
  • Work with suppliers and fabricators to improve manufacturability and sourcing
  • Play a role in transitioning the production team to an ERP system
  • Lead value engineering and cost reduction initiatives
  • Improve installation efficiency and build processes
• Engineering Process & Best Practices
  • Improve documentation, version control, and release processes
  • Drive engineering standards and best practices
  • Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical reviews

Qualifications:

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, or General Engineering with mechanical specialisation
• 7+ years of mechanical engineering experience delivering industrial hardware at scale
• Proven ability to identify and implement process improvements
• Experience working in fast‑paced, iterative engineering environments
• Highly confident using SolidWorks and PDM and producing drawings for manufacture
• Strong systems‑level thinking and problem‑solving ability
• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes (fabrication, sheet metal, machining, assembly)
• Experience improving products in production or field‑deployed environments
• Hands‑on attitude: you are happy to go and sort out problems at client locations if needed or to assemble one of our products and do some troubleshooting when necessary
• Strong communication skills and cross‑functional collaboration
• Excellent skills in communicating technical information clearly to team members and key stakeholders

Bonus:

• SolidWorks certification (CSWP/CSWE), particularly sheet‑metal design
• Experience with industrial machinery, automation, or robotics
• Experience working on deployed customer equipment
• Experience scaling hardware from prototype to production
• Experience with pneumatics, conveyors, or material handling systems
• Startup or scale‑up experience
• Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical initiatives
• A keen interest in solving the problems within the recycling industry

Benefits:

• An excellent salary that’s both equitable and reviewed regularly
• Progression: we are growing rapidly and excited for you to make an impact as we do so
• Unlimited holiday
• A welcoming and inclusive team environment with monthly company‑wide socials
• Plenty of opportunities for training and personal development
• Healthcare coverage – Vitality is available from your very first day!