Principal Mechanical Engineer

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

Location: Hybrid – White City, London

Job Type: Full-time

Job Purpose: As a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer, you will lead the mechanical design and development of cutting-edge diagnostic platforms and associated projects. You will guide technical development, manage complex projects, and collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver innovative solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Technical Development: Create, review, and guide the development of design requirements, prototypes, test strategies, and analysis/test reports. Proactively identify technical risks and offer solutions. Provide clarity to the team, particularly in situations with limited information.
• Development Planning & Reporting: Develop and manage realistic project plans with a 6+ month horizon, managing scope, deliverables, strategies, timelines, resources, and budgets. Guide less complex projects and other engineers on planning and management.
• Manage External Partners: Work with external development partners to define project scope, track progress, and ensure deliverables meet project requirements.
• Cross-Team Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, science, software, and commercial teams to ensure project compatibility and alignment with company objectives.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Mentor junior engineers, promote a collaborative team environment, and ensure high standards of technical delivery. Provide guidance on good practice and process improvements.
• Additional Duties: Participate in recruitment and other duties as assigned (e.g., transfer to CMO).

Qualifications:

• Technical Skills & Leadership:
• Extensive experience in end-to-end development of complex electromechanical systems, including mechanism design, pneumatics, fluid control, and temperature control.
• Expertise in generating architecture and mechanism concepts, CAD design, risk management, prototyping, testing, and transfer to manufacturing.
• Proficiency in Solidworks and CAD design, with familiarity in FEA (Comsol preferred).
• Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving skills across disciplines.
• Experience in guiding junior engineers and reviewing their work.

• Non-Technical Skills:
• Knowledge of medical device development processes (ISO 13485), including guiding others on good practice, identifying gaps, and suggesting improvements.
• Ability to communicate complex technical subjects to non-technical stakeholders.
• (Preferred) Awareness of user, business, and regulatory needs related to sample-to-result diagnostic systems.
• (Preferred) Basic understanding of assay development methodologies for medical device designs.
• (Preferred) Experience in overseeing third-party work and deliverables.