Future Radar Mechanical Design Lead

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Job Title: Future Radar Mechanical Design Authority

Location: Cowes, Isle of Wight. We offer hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: Circa £70,000 commensurate with skills and experience

This is a senior mechanical engineering role focused on leading the design and development of complex mechanical systems for a cutting-edge technology demonstrator. The successful candidate will act as the mechanical design authority, ensuring robust, compliant solutions throughout the full engineering lifecycle. With strong expertise in structural design, thermal systems, or other key mechanical domains, they will guide both project-specific activities and support the broader engineering community with technical leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

What you’ll be doing:

Carry out detailed mechanical design and analysis activities to support the development of a complex new product

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure mechanical solutions align with overall system requirements

Act as the Mechanical Design Authority, providing expert-level input across the full product lifecycle

Apply subject matter expertise in key mechanical areas such as thermal management, structural integrity, or material selection

Ensure design compliance with relevant industry standards, regulations, and internal processes

Support design reviews, technical assessments, and the implementation of design changes as needed

Your skills and experiences

Demonstrable subject matter expertise in at least one area of Mechanical Engineering (e.g. thermal systems, structures, CFD, FEA, or propulsion), with the ability to provide authoritative technical input

Proven experience in complex mechanical design, including the design, build, integration, and testing of advanced mechanical systems or products

Ability to collate, interpret and translate requirements into effective mechanical design solutions throughout the engineering lifecycle

Familiarity with modelling and simulation tools used for mechanical analysis, such as those assessing structural behaviour under static and dynamic loads

Comfortable working within engineering governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with relevant standards, processes, and best practices

Ideally holds Chartered Engineer status or has equivalent experience and qualifications in a mechanical engineering discipline

Benefits:

You’ll receive benefits including a competitive pension scheme, enhanced annual leave allowance and a Company contributed Share Incentive Plan. You’ll also have access to additional benefits such as flexible working, an employee assistance programme, Cycle2work and employee discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The NGRD Mechanical team:

At BAE Systems we are revolutionising radar technology, delivering world-class products and the next-generation capability that keeps the UK at the forefront of defence innovation. As a growing business working on cutting-edge solutions, we value the importance of investment in talent—people like you—who are eager to push technological boundaries, make a real impact and translate this into world-class products.

Our mission is clear: to equip our customers with the most advanced and capable systems available, through which we invest and build the UK’s sovereign capability for Radar. With strong backing from those customers, who are not only in close proximity but also deeply integrated in our strategic vision, we operate in a highly collaborative environment where what we do really matters.

Our workplace in Cowes is an easily accessible commute from Southampton with a regular foot passenger ferry and BAE shuttle service from the ferry terminal to site.

Joining our team means being part of a dynamic, forward-thinking organisation that values career development, technical excellence, and real-world impact. We’re on a growth journey, with that there are rich opportunities for you to develop, lead, and innovate way into the future. Join us and shape the future of Radar technology, we want to hear from you. We work in the business of careers not jobs – your future starts here.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and particularly from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our industry, including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals.

We also want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 26th May 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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