Lead Design Engineer
Aquatic Control Engineering (ACE) are recruiting for a new senior role within the company; Lead Design Engineer. Aquatic Control Engineering are a leader within their sector, supplying turnkey mechanical and electrical solutions for water management, flood defence and environmental services. The Company’s focus lies within water control products (valves, pumps, sluice gates) fish friendly land drainage pumps and fish migration solutions. With both Quality and Environmental solutions, ACE has gained an exceptional reputation over its 25 years within the industry.
The Lead Design Engineer will lead the design department in the day-to-day delivery of design outputs for our own in house manufactured products. They will be the primary contact for our external design engineer utilising his wealth of experience and ensuring knowledge transfer in house throughout the design team. The Lead Design Engineer will report to the Technical Director and Managing Director. The role will develop designs from specifications provided from the sales, projects and technical teams working with both external and internal design engineers and draughtsman to develop full designs from concept through to drawing packs ready for production/manufacture. As the team lead this role will be responsible for the detailed scheduling of design and drawing tasks/workload throughout the department and liaison with the projects and technical teams.
Working to timescales and deadlines inline with project programmes the Lead Design engineer will ensure design outputs are provided on time, to the correct standard and accuracy and in line with company design management procedures.
Design works will predominantly be on water flow control equipment including the functional design, structural engineering including structural strength analysis and factor of safety assessment. Working on both previously designed products (changing sizes and use case) and developing new products/ carry out R&D.
The team lead will check the design outputs of wider design team reviewing for accuracy, clash detection or errors and releasing over to production in a timely manner to ensure overall project timelines can be achieved. Designs will be produced in the form of Solidworks models, and will need to be supported with the applicable level of structural calculation to demonstrate suitability, in line with legislative standards and customer requirements.
As team lead this role will involve being the main point of communication with other departments, working closely with the technical and projects departments to understand project scope requirements and pressures to ensure designs achieve overall requirements. The role will involve working closely with the manufacture and production department to ensure design outputs can be moved into production smoothly without error and in formats that can be used by our supply partners.
Job Role, duties and responsibilities:
- Schedule and manage day-to-day workload of the design department in line with wider business requirements
- Working with external and internal design engineers to ensure products are fit for purpose
- Deliver continuous improvement of our product offering based on development of existing and new designs
- Build internal expertise across the design team utilising the knowledge and experience of our external engineer
- Direct line management for design department (x 2 employees currently)
- Review, approve and release drawings/designs through to customer review and subsequent production, ensuring customer requirements/specifications are complied with at all times
- Contribute using CAD outputs to the production of a range of key documents and communications including Inspection & Test Plans, Sales Materials, Technical documentation and Installation and Operation Manuals.
Essential Requirements & key skills:
- Mechanical Engineering degree or experience equivalent
- An advanced ability to use Solidworks Premium is required, including simulation, with the use of PDM an added benefit. Applicants demonstrating advanced experience in Inventor or a similar 3d package may be considered as training could be provided
- Knowledge and experience in mechanical engineering design are essential qualities for this role
- Hands on experience in an on-site or workshop (fabrication) environment is also required
- Ability to interrogate CAD outputs
- Good understanding of HSEQ requirements, such as ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001
- Excellent IT skills
- Excellent organisation skills, working to deadlines
- Excellent attention to detail
- Experience of leading a team
- Ability to multi-task
- Full UK driving licence
Desirable Requirements – Full training will be given to the successful candidate:
- Hands on assembly, workshop or site experience
- Experience in the water or land drainage industry, or similar applicable industry