Overview
TopStaff is recruiting on behalf of a growing British engineering start-up developing personal anti-drone protection systems. This is an ambitious, high-impact project at an exciting stage of development, and the team is looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer to take full ownership of their hardware and mechanical development.
This is a hands-on, high-ownership role for an engineer who wants to build things that matter – from early concept through to working hardware in the field. The role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced, resource-limited environments, takes genuine pride in building complete systems, and is ready to step into a position of real technical and team leadership.
Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of all mechanical and hardware systems
- Design, build and continuously improve complex physical systems and products
- Develop and integrate new functionality into existing products
- Design and build test rigs and validation setups
- Support rapid prototyping and iteration cycles
- Drive new product development from early concept through to operational prototype
- Work closely with controls and software engineers to ensure full system integration
- Lead and grow a small team of technicians and junior mechanical engineers
What Success Looks Like
- Within the first 6–12 months, the successful candidate will be expected to deliver complete hardware systems from concept to working prototype
- Improve reliability, performance and testability of existing products
- Establish effective test rigs and validation processes
- Take full ownership of hardware development on new product lines
- Strong experience in mechanical design and hardware system development
- Proven track record of building complete systems from zero to one, including prototyping
- Experience in small teams or start-up / research environments
- Ability to take end-to-end ownership of hardware and mechanical solutions
- Commitment to working on-site in Ukraine for the majority of time over a two-year assignment
- Right to work in the relevant jurisdiction(s) required for the assignment
- NATO member state citizenship or Ukrainian citizenship – the client does not offer visa sponsorship
- The successful candidate will be required to undergo and pass a security clearance check
- Background in aerospace, defence or high-reliability engineering systems
- Experience designing test rigs and experimental hardware setups
- Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams
Who We Are Looking For
- Beyond technical skills, the client places significant weight on character and drive. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- A strong hands-on engineering mindset – you build things, not just design them
- High personal initiative – evidence of significant projects, competitions or other high-performance activities outside formal employment
- The ability to work independently and make good decisions with limited structure
- Personal responsibility and a results-oriented approach
- High work capacity and resilience in a fast-moving environment
- Flexibility to commit to an intensive, on-site role for an extended period
Leadership and Scope
This role carries genuine leadership responsibility from day one:
- Manage one technician / junior mechanical engineer immediately, growing to a team of 2–5 within the first year
- Decision-making authority over all mechanical aspects of current and new products
- Input into team culture and hiring decisions
- Partial budget responsibility on the mechanical engineering side
Location
The first few months will be based in the United Kingdom. Thereafter, the role is primarily on-site in Ukraine for approximately two years.
#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-05-22”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “TopStaff recruitment agency”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__439309937__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=33” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “London” } } }Overview
TopStaff is recruiting on behalf of a growing British engineering start-up developing personal anti-drone protection systems. This is an ambitious, high-impact project at an exciting stage of development, and the team is looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer to take full ownership of their hardware and mechanical development.
This is a hands-on, high-ownership role for an engineer who wants to build things that matter – from early concept through to working hardware in the field. The role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced, resource-limited environments, takes genuine pride in building complete systems, and is ready to step into a position of real technical and team leadership.
Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of all mechanical and hardware systems
- Design, build and continuously improve complex physical systems and products
- Develop and integrate new functionality into existing products
- Design and build test rigs and validation setups
- Support rapid prototyping and iteration cycles
- Drive new product development from early concept through to operational prototype
- Work closely with controls and software engineers to ensure full system integration
- Lead and grow a small team of technicians and junior mechanical engineers
What Success Looks Like
- Within the first 6–12 months, the successful candidate will be expected to deliver complete hardware systems from concept to working prototype
- Improve reliability, performance and testability of existing products
- Establish effective test rigs and validation processes
- Take full ownership of hardware development on new product lines
- Strong experience in mechanical design and hardware system development
- Proven track record of building complete systems from zero to one, including prototyping
- Experience in small teams or start-up / research environments
- Ability to take end-to-end ownership of hardware and mechanical solutions
- Commitment to working on-site in Ukraine for the majority of time over a two-year assignment
- Right to work in the relevant jurisdiction(s) required for the assignment
- NATO member state citizenship or Ukrainian citizenship – the client does not offer visa sponsorship
- The successful candidate will be required to undergo and pass a security clearance check
- Background in aerospace, defence or high-reliability engineering systems
- Experience designing test rigs and experimental hardware setups
- Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams
Who We Are Looking For
- Beyond technical skills, the client places significant weight on character and drive. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- A strong hands-on engineering mindset – you build things, not just design them
- High personal initiative – evidence of significant projects, competitions or other high-performance activities outside formal employment
- The ability to work independently and make good decisions with limited structure
- Personal responsibility and a results-oriented approach
- High work capacity and resilience in a fast-moving environment
- Flexibility to commit to an intensive, on-site role for an extended period
Leadership and Scope
This role carries genuine leadership responsibility from day one:
- Manage one technician / junior mechanical engineer immediately, growing to a team of 2–5 within the first year
- Decision-making authority over all mechanical aspects of current and new products
- Input into team culture and hiring decisions
- Partial budget responsibility on the mechanical engineering side
Location
The first few months will be based in the United Kingdom. Thereafter, the role is primarily on-site in Ukraine for approximately two years.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…