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
…