Lead Project Engineer (Mechanical Innovation) in Cwmbran

Safran Seats is a premium designer and manufacturer of First and Business Class seating and technology. Our passenger experience prides itself on innovation, customization, quality and industrial design. We interface with both the world's biggest airlines and airframers alike, with the largest seats portfolio of all seats suppliers. In the UK, Safran Seats specialises solely in the First Class and Business Class seating markets for wide body aircraft, with industrial and engineering teams in Cwmbran and Newport, Wales and Brackley, England.

About the role: In this new role you will lead and deliver a pipeline of mechanical innovation projects that add value to our products, through a balanced focus on leadership and hands-on engineering. Working across premium seat subsystems, you will drive improvements in lightweighting, reliability and robustness, mechanism simplification, safety, passenger comfort/experience, cost and design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA). You will scope and secure external funding for innovation projects, lead a small team of engineers and trainees, and be accountable for the mechanical design, creation and maintenance of our showcase technology demonstrators.

Scope of responsibilities: You will be responsible for defining and delivering mechanical innovations that differentiate our products and support future customer needs. Reporting to the Head of R&T, you will lead a small team, setting technical direction and providing day-to-day guidance. Your team will also manage departmental prototyping and workshop facilities and ensure effective use of wider company prototype/test services.

• Deliver a portfolio of mechanical innovation projects that improve weight, reliability, safety, passenger comfort and cost.
• Provide line management for a small team of engineers and trainees, including objective setting, performance reviews, and day-to-day coaching.
• Secure financial support through proposals and engagement with funding bodies.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership: perform and review mechanical design work, using analysis tools (e.g. FEA, tolerance and kinematics analysis) to de-risk designs.

Knowledge, Experience, Training and Qualifications:

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline, with significant experience (typically 5+ years) delivering mechanical systems from concept through detailed design.
• High proficiency in 3D CAD, with experience using structural analysis (e.g. FEA) and tolerance/kinematic analysis to support design decisions.
• Experience with PLM and configuration management tools and processes.
• Practical, hands-on prototyping and workshop skills (e.g. mock-up build, basic fabrication, assembly and debugging of mechanical systems).

• Experience leading project work packages and providing mentoring or line management to engineers, graduates or trainees.
• Proven experience designing for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) across relevant materials (e.g. metallics, composites, plastics).
• Experience collaborating with external partners (e.g. universities, research organisations, technology suppliers) and contributing to externally funded innovation proposals.
• Familiarity with structured technology maturation approaches, such as Technology Readiness Level (TRL) frameworks or equivalent.

• Technical Leader – able to set clear direction, prioritise work and provide day-to-day guidance, coaching and support to an engineering team.
• Communicative – can explain complex topics clearly to non-experts, influence stakeholders and share learning verbally and in writing.
• Practical – hands-on, comfortable engaging with prototypes and hardware, and applies a structured approach to diagnosing issues, generating options and converging on robust, practical solutions.
• Organised – reliable in planning, prioritising and delivering multiple activities, balancing short-term delivery with longer-term development.
• Innovative – actively explores new mechanical concepts, methods, tools and technologies, and brings well-judged ideas into Safran Seats to enhance products and processes.

At Safran, we understand that diversity and inclusion make teams stronger and more effective, and as an organisation, we are committed to fair and equitable employment practices for everyone. We also know that some candidates may be put off applying for jobs where they don't meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the advert, however, we encourage anybody to apply if you can demonstrate a variety of skills and experience relevant to the requirements of this role. Please let us know if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring process that may better facilitate your participation.