Senior Design Engineer
Location: Stockton-on-Tees
Sector: Engineering / Steel Fabrication / Manufacturing
Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
A growing engineering and manufacturing business is seeking a highly driven and proactive Senior Design Engineer / Design Supervisor to support continued expansion and strengthen its internal design capability.
The company produces steel-based products for a range of sectors. As demand increases, this role will be central to ensuring the business has the technical leadership, design expertise and engineering responsiveness required to meet customer expectations.
The successful candidate will take a lead role within the internal design team, helping to organise priorities, manage workload, delegate tasks and communicate realistic lead times to internal stakeholders. Alongside team coordination, you will provide hands-on engineering support, including 3D CAD modelling, structural calculations and finite element analysis where required.
This is an ideal role for a technically strong engineer who can balance detailed design work with team leadership, workload planning and cross‑functional communication.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Design Engineer / Design Supervisor will:
Lead and support the internal engineering design team.
Organise design priorities and delegate workload across the team.
Communicate design lead times clearly to internal stakeholders.
Produce and review engineering designs for steel-based products and assemblies.
Use 3D CAD software, ideally SolidWorks, to develop models, drawings and design solutions.
Carry out structural calculations to support product design and customer requirements.
Perform or support finite element analysis where required.
Work closely with project management, sales, production, procurement and customer service teams.
Ensure designs are delivered accurately and within tight project deadlines.
Provide technical guidance to colleagues and help resolve design or manufacturing queries.
Maintain high standards of quality, accuracy and engineering compliance.
About You
We are looking for a proactive and technically capable engineer who is comfortable working in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. You will be confident managing your own workload while also helping to coordinate the priorities of others within the design team.
The ideal candidate will have:
A minimum of a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline.
Experience working within a steel manufacturing or steel fabrication environment.
Strong 3D CAD capability, ideally using SolidWorks.
Experience producing engineering drawings, models and technical documentation.
Knowledge of structural calculations.
Some experience performing finite element analysis.
Strong communication skills.
The ability to work effectively to tight deadlines.
A proactive, organised and solutions‑focused approach.
The ability to lead, support and delegate within a technical team.
Why This Role?
This is an excellent opportunity to take a senior technical position within a growing part of the business. You will have the opportunity to influence how the design team operates, improve design delivery performance and play a key role in supporting the company's continued growth.
Cost Code - S96
About Us
We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. In line with our Diversity and Inclusion policy, we welcome applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. As a Disability Confident Employer, and part of the Nicholas Associates Group, we are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities, and we're happy to discuss flexible working options.
We are committed to protecting the privacy of all our candidates and clients. If you choose to apply, your information will be processed in accordance with the Nicholas Associates Group of companies