Our client is an integral part of an international, market leading engineering solutions provider with over 20 operations in 10 countries. Working out of a specialist design, development, test and manufacturing facility in South Wales, the business is benefiting from substantial capital investment. It is currently undergoing a rapid phase of expansion and is at the forefront of “state-of-the-art” developments in technologically sustainable, innovative and resilient solutions for a highly demanding global customer base that spans Land Vehicle, Aerospace and Industrial markets.
Reporting to the Engineering Director, this is a highly customer-facing role, combining strong technical leadership with commercial awareness. You will lead the development of innovative new products in close collaboration with customers and will also act as a technical ambassador for the business, helping to identify opportunities, shape product concepts, and translate customer requirements into robust, manufacturable engineering solutions.
The Role
- Provide “hands on” technical leadership for the end-to-end development of new products from concept through to production
- Translate customer needs into clear technical requirements and product specifications
- Drive innovative solutions, ensure designs meet performance, quality, cost, regulatory and manufacturability requirements
- Oversee design reviews, validation plans, testing and product sign-off
- Act as a primary technical interface with key OEM customers
- Present and “sell” the company’s engineering capabilities and technical solutions
- Collaborate with customers to co-develop new products and technologies
- Support commercial teams in technical proposals, tenders and customer presentations
- Build long-term, trusted relationships with engineering and procurement stakeholders
- Identify emerging trends across our system solutions, expertise and applications
- Proactively generate new product ideas aligned with market and customer needs
- Contribute to the innovation of company’s product roadmap and technology strategy
- Benchmark competitor technologies and industry best practice
- Work closely with manufacturing, quality, sales and programme teams
- Provide technical guidance, leadership and mentoring to engineers within the team
- Manage multiple development projects in parallel, ensuring delivery to time and budget
- Be the technical expert support at trade shows, exhibitions and other industry events
Candidate Profile
- Degree-qualified in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline
- Significant experience in product development combined with proven experience of working within land vehicle automotive and/or aerospace OEMs
- Strong customer-facing skills with the ability to build trusted relationships and communicate complex technical concepts clearly
- Demonstrated ability to lead product development from concept to production that meet customer and market needs
- Commercial awareness and ability to support sales and business development activities
- Experience in systems engineering and requirements management
- Knowledge of automotive/aerospace standards and regulatory frameworks
- Project management experience
- A strong company ambassador – confident, credible and professional in front of customers
- Innovative, curious and passionate about engineering solutions
- A motivated self-starter who is able to work on own initiative
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Commercially minded with a customer-first mindset and an entrepreneurial approach towards increasing the pipeline of innovative product concept creation and opportunities
- Able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment
- Strong people management and collaboration skills; able to a make a positive impact on company reputation as a leading engineering & technology partner
- Maintain high standards of Health and Safety: – safe working practices and support environmental initiatives
- Demonstrate superior presentation, communication and attention to detail skills
- Conversant with tools & processes – FEA,DFMEA, FMEA etc – IT Skills, including Microsoft 365
- Available and prepared to undertake international travel on an occasional basis
