Senior Engineer in Solihull

The Materials Technology team is a collaborative group of specialists with broad expertise in materials analysis, particularly in electronics. The team supports multiple divisions, working closely with internal stakeholders such as engineering, quality, and Friedrichshafen Materials Lab, in addition to external customers and suppliers, mainly based in the UK. With a strong focus on delivering high-quality engineering services, the team coordinates and executes local testing while aligning with global labs to ensure consistent standards. The role offers exposure to a wide range of material technologies, testing methods, and cross-functional projects, fostering continuous learning and development. The team culture emphasizes collaboration, diversity, and technical excellence, providing an engaging environment to address complex materials challenges.

What you can look forward to:

• Advise, arrange, and coordinate investigative processes for failure evaluation, including interpretation of results, reporting findings, and implementation of corrective actions.
• Provide engineering and consultancy services on materials and related production processes, including teardown of components and laboratory testing to support regional and global Engineering and Production teams.
• Support the development and implementation of lab policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with ISO/IEC Quality, EHS, and 5S (safe and organized workplace) requirements.
• Coordinate purchasing of lab needs (maintenance, calibration, consumables) within budget constraints and support cost estimation for current and future lab requirements.
• Collaborate closely with the Friedrichshafen Materials Lab to optimize lab efficiency and balance regional testing capacity.
• Perform teardown of mechanical assemblies, precise sectioning, and metallographic preparation while preserving areas of interest and ensuring high standards of accuracy and workmanship.
• Apply various materials lab analytical and testing techniques to support routine and complex customer requests and advise customers on appropriate investigative processes.
• Liaise with regional and global Engineering and Quality functions, generate detailed lab reports, and attend customer meetings as required.

Your profile:

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering, or a comparable field of study.
• Around 5 years of professional experience in testing or quality organizations (preferably automotive), including hands-on experience in a laboratory testing environment.
• Familiarity with test specifications of major OEMs and international standards (e.g., ISO, IEC, DIN).
• Strong knowledge of metals (e.g., casting, forging, sheet steel, welding) including failure analysis investigations, complemented by practical experience in metallographic techniques.
• Hands-on experience with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX) and other non-destructive analytical methods (e.g., X-ray, FTIR); basic knowledge of PCB assemblies and electronic materials is advantageous (training can be provided as needed).
• Proven ability to manage and lead multiple projects and priorities effectively.
• Solid understanding of budgeting, including the ability to develop business cases for operational and capital requirements.
• Business-fluent English (written and spoken); German skills are beneficial but not essential, with willingness for limited local and international travel.

Why you should choose ZF in Shirley:

• Competitive salary
• Pension System
• 2x Life Assurance cover
• Health Cashplan

Be part of our ZF team and apply now!