Principal Engineer (Design Engineering Team Lead) 848633 in Inchinnan

The University of Strathclyde has a long history of working with industry to deliver strong business growth from access to research and innovation expertise. The latest major initiative continuing to deliver on this track record is through the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS). As a magnet for innovation in advanced manufacturing, the NMIS group of specialist R&D centres supports manufacturing, engineering and associated tech businesses of all sizes to thrive domestically and internationally through accelerating productivity, embracing new digital technologies and achieving net-zero targets.

We turn smart ideas into reality and deliver ground-breaking research. Coming from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, our passionate team works alongside industry, academia, and the public sector to solve problems, train the workforce of the future and generate the creative ideas that will transform manufacturing. Ultimately, we are growing the economy, developing a vibrant and skilled talent pool and helping create prosperous, sustainable communities.

Applicants may use tools such as AI to support their application; however, all submissions must accurately reflect their own experience and understanding. The University reserves the right to verify the authenticity of application materials and may reject applications where concerns arise.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a talented and motivated Team Lead (Principal Engineer) to play a key role in advancing our research, development, and manufacturing capability. In this role, you’ll lead a team working at the forefront of industrially focused engineering challenges—designing and delivering innovative solutions that make a real impact for our partners. You’ll contribute to a diverse portfolio of projects, applying your managerial and technical expertise to the effective operation of the team, ensuring that we get the very best from each of the members of your team. As a progressive and evolving organisation, we will expect you to identify and work collaboratively to shape new approaches that drive continual improvement. You will also be expected to proactively seek project opportunities with industry partners, generating income from both commercial and public sector funding sources.

What makes this an exceptional opportunity is the breadth of technologies and sectors you’ll be exposed to. At NMIS, our work spans a wide range of manufacturing technologies, such as remanufacturing, forming and forging, precision machining, materials engineering, digital manufacturing technologies, and cutting-edge modelling and digital twin technologies. These capabilities support a wide range of high-value manufacturing sectors, including Energy, Power Electronics, Aerospace, Defence, and Space—giving you the chance to work in a technically challenging and rewarding environment.

Collaboration sits at the heart of what we do. You’ll work closely with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and wider networks, helping to build strong relationships that support innovation and future opportunities. If you’re a proactive problem-solver with strong managerial and technical skills, excellent communication, and a passion for advancing engineering capability, we’d love to hear from you.

For informal enquiries, please contact Stephen Fitzpatrick, Director (Digital Factory), s.fitzpatrick@strath.ac.uk. For more information and details on how to apply, please click on the s1jobs APPLY button now.