Mechanical Design Engineer

Mechanical Design Engineer | Robotics & Autonomous Systems

Location: Birmingham

Salary: up to £45K

Full time | Permanent

Design hardware that operates where failure isn’t an option

Are you a Mechanical Design Engineer working on drones, UAVs, robotics or advanced electromechanical products — and starting to feel boxed in by incremental upgrades or overly siloed roles?

This is an opportunity to take full ownership of real, mission-critical hardware, from concept through to manufacture, in a fast-moving engineering team building autonomous inspection systems for extreme environments.

What You’ll Be Working On

You’ll be designing field-deployable robotic hardware that must survive

Harsh weather and corrosive environments

Confined, high-risk industrial spaces

High consequence failure scenarios

Your role spans the entire product lifecycle

Concept design, prototyping and validation

Detailed mechanical design and DFM-ready drawings

BOM / CBOM ownership and engineering change control

Close collaboration with electronics and software engineers

This is a hands-on, high-impact role — your designs won’t sit on a shelf.

This Role Is Ideal For Engineers With Experience In

Drones / UAVs / robotics / autonomous systems

Lightweight structures and complex assemblies

Electromechanical products with tight tolerances

Designing for reliability, serviceability and manufacture

Products that leave the lab and go into the real world

What You’ll Bring

2+ years’ experience in a mechanical engineering role

Strong SolidWorks capability

Proven mechanical design experience on physical products (portfolio required)

Good DFM discipline and documentation practices

Experience owning BOMs and engineering changes

Enough electronics/software awareness to design intelligently alongside other disciplines

Nice To Have (Not Essential)

Taking products from R&D into manufacture

Experience with harsh environments (IP ratings, corrosion, impact)

Background in aerospace, defence, energy or advanced robotics

Cable management, tethered systems or deployable mechanisms