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 scenariosYour 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 engineersThis 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 worldWhat 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 disciplinesNice 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