Senior Mechanical Design Engineer – SolidWorks in Orpington

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer – SolidWorks Location: Kent/London Border (on site) Salary: Up to £50,000 + benefits Contract: Permanent, full time Are you the engineer who doesn’t just draw the fix, but stays with it until it’s working on the factory floor? I’m recruiting for an established, privately owned manufacturer of specialist engineered building products, with a strong reputation for quality and compliance. As the business grows, they’re looking for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to lead improvements to the products they already sell. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. Changes come from customers, the factory, quality investigations and cost-down projects, and you’ll take each one from root cause through to design, test, drawings, BOMs and release into production. You’ll also lead the most complex work and guide other engineers and contract designers. What you’ll be doing * Owning a caseload of engineering changes from request through to release * Investigating field failures, customer concerns and NCRs to their root cause, then designing permanent fixes * Producing and checking 3D models, drawings and BOMs in SolidWorks and SolidWorks PDM, and releasing through ECNs * Using DFMEA, tolerance analysis and design reviews to manage risk on safety-critical changes * Planning prototype builds and running cycle and durability testing on in-house rigs * Preparing drawings and specimens for fire and smoke testing at accredited labs, and attending tests where needed * Working with suppliers on samples, tooling and first article inspection across extrusions, sheet metal, machined and moulded parts * Checking and mentoring the work of other engineers and helping improve drawing standards and processes What you’ll bring * A degree in Mechanical or Product Design Engineering (or an HNC/HND with equivalent experience) * 7+ years in design or product engineering within manufacturing, including changes to products already in production * Advanced SolidWorks (parts, assemblies, sheet metal, production drawings) and daily use of PDM * Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFMEA and structured root cause tools such as 8D * A good understanding of aluminium extrusion, sheet metal, machining, casting and injection moulding * Clear written communication and the discipline to make sure the records match what’s built Experience with certified or fire-rated products, test standards and third-party approvals would be a big plus, as would a background in building products or other regulated manufacturing, or some electromechanical work. Why apply? * Real technical authority on products that genuinely keep people safe * A senior role where you see your designs go into production * Occasional travel to suppliers, test labs and overseas colleagues * A stable, growing business with a close-knit product team If you’re a SolidWorks expert who enjoys solving real-world problems and seeing them through, apply today with your CV. Search Beyond Ltd is acting as an employment agency for this vacancy