Principal Mechanical Engineer

Principal Mechanical Engineer

MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB

To provide engineering discipline expertise across the product streams, in order to ensure successful delivery of robust, innovative products which meet our quality standards. Also to provide discipline consultancy and guidance to Engineering Managers and engineers across the product streams.

Principal Mechanical Engineer -RESPONSIBILITIES

• Determine and take ownership of the mechanical strategy and best practices for the discipline to provide a world class development environment and approach.
• Champion innovation and facilitate the uptake of efficiency enablers as appropriate.
• Explore and champion ways of shortening development timescales, Lean Development and DfSS methodologies within an agile development environment.
• Drive best practice within the discipline and share across the company.
• Champion and take ownership of rapid prototyping initiatives Identify and promote manufacturing technologies that deliver benefits to time to market, ease of build, cost and quality.
• Act as technical authority for the discipline.
• Coach and mentor others within the discipline
• Provide individual contribution to projects based on expertise and specialism.
• Ensure development within the discipline complies with necessary regulatory standards, and develop world class process for the discipline.
• Participate in relevant Design Reviews across the product streams to monitor design quality and to have approval power for critical milestones.
• Collaborate closely with, and provide discipline guidance to, the Engineering Managers and Project managers to ensure design direction and quality is maintained with special reference to reliability, maintainability, safety standards.
• Collaborate with other Principal Engineers to provide a coherent overall product design strategy.
• Investigate, recommend and procure optimum tools and techniques needed to support the discipline.
• Co-ordinate with external suppliers to support the discipline. Liaise with suppliers in specifying special components as appropriate. Liaise with manufacturing, test and service groups to ensure that best practices are identified and observed.
• Assist in the recruitment process where appropriate, including selection and interviewing of new engineers.
• Assist with trouble shooting as required across the products streams, liaising with Engineering Managers, Principal Engineer, engineers and members of the Operations and Product Marketing teams.
• Ensure consistent principles, tools and practices are applied, where possible, across all the product streams.
• Maintain and disseminate, as appropriate, knowledge of up-to-date discipline technology, development methodologies and regulatory requirements and their potential application to products and processes

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED OF THE JOB HOLDER:

Entry Qualifications

• Degree level or equivalent experience in engineering based subject – ideally mechanical
• Preferably with membership of appropriate professional institute(s) (for example IMechE).

Skills & Experience

• Engineering professional with a high level of technical competency and a number of years’ experience working at a high level within mechanical engineering.
• Significant experience gained in an instrument development environment or similar industry.
• Experience in incremental product development.
• Practitioner of Lean R&D processes and tools such as DfSS and Scrum
• CAE experience.
• Able to make good judgement on the appropriate balance between time, cost and quality.
• Able to work in conjunction with other Principal Engineers.
• Able to present both written and oral complex arguments.
• Innovative – to be able to create and develop new ideas.
• Strong cross division communication.
• Able to travel occasionally and work with teams across the globe.
• Working within ISO9001 process.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of techniques of Design for Manufacture (DfM) and concurrent engineering.
• High-technology/engineering background
• Knowledge and experience in the use of additive manufacturing for development and manufacture.
• Knowledge of CFD, FEA, 3D and 2D CAD.
• Clear knowledge and experience of the mechanical design process.
• Knowledge of global standards and materials specification for product design and manufacture.

Desirable

• Post-graduate qualification.
• CAD-CAM experience.
• Hands-on manufacturing experience.