Where: Working in-person in Fibe’s HQ in Waterloo
Salary: £45 - 70k
Start Date: March 2025
Commitment: Full-time
Our Company
Fibe is an early-stage startup with a mission to make agri-based fibres the go-to option for the fashion and agriculture industry. To do this we are developing the world’s most sustainable, affordable and scalable textile fibres out of common agricultural crops. Our launch product is the world’s first textile fibre out of potato harvest waste. A solution with so much promise that Patagonia’s investment arm lead the company’s previous fundraise.
We’re seeking passionate individuals to join us in challenging conventional methods and reshaping a centuries-old industry. Be part of a team that’s setting a new standard in sustainability and making a real impact in the world of textiles and agriculture!
Job Summary
Fibe is looking for a bright, hands-on and experienced Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to guide its next steps of scaling up our technology, and establishing our first pilot production facility.
The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Fibe would be joining our engineering team, scaling up our proprietary fibre extraction technology. You would be joining Fibe in an exciting time as we move from a benchtop semi-automatic machine to a pilot-scale machine that validates all of our assumptions, leading to a ready design that can be built by a manufacture for our upcoming production facility.
Being a small startup, your autonomy is key, allowing you to have an idea in the morning, and have it tested by the end of day. You would spend most of your time creating designs on OnShape, building them in our rapid prototyping workshop or liaising directly with contractors to get parts made.
Working at Fibe
At the core of Fibe’s success is the team, a diverse group of 14 scientists, engineers and technicians. As a senior hire, you will be a key part of this team and report directly to the Chief Innovation Officer. Ideally, we seek an individual who will become a long-term member of the Fibe family as the company grows with each success. Fibe empowers its employees with significant impact, autonomy, and opportunities for self-development. This is key because the challenge of developing a new fibre, with a new process, and using a previously untapped feedstock cannot be understated. We expect our team to be unusually responsible, efficient, unselfish, display growth mindset and be genuinely caring
We value interdisciplinary collaboration, where every voice counts, allowing us to challenge our processes and reach the best solutions. Our R&D approach embraces strategic risk, focusing on direct paths to our goals while maintaining parallel solutions to mitigate risk. Finally, we believe that true sustainability requires price and performance parity with unsustainable options. As such, we prioritise our efforts towards whatever reduces the price and improves performance the most while complying with stringent sustainability requirements.
Responsibilities
* Designing & Prototyping: You would spend most of your time working on advanced OnShape Assemblies, with frequent rapid prototyping and iterating sessions to find the best solutions to problems.
* Testing: You would be responsible for testing the machines you have built directly or with the production team at fibe, ensuring high quality outputs through capturing insights from all sides.
* Parts & Machine Selection: When creating your designs you would have full control over which parts to use and purchase, as a startup we have no red-tape dictating which suppliers to use. For processes that proprietary machines are not necessary you would be contacting suppliers and comparing quotes to select the best machine for the job.
* Working with Engineering Contractors: Where standard parts are not feasible, you will be in direct contact with contractors and engineering companies to build components through to production rigs. You’d liaise, provide drawings and CAD access to ensure the right thing is built.
* Upskilling: You would be a part of a growing team of engineers, and you would be expected to support and upskill those around you.
Experience
* Minimum 1 years experience in a senior or lead engineer position (IC4 / E4 equivalent)
* Experience designing production equipment in materials science, manufacturing, agriculture, bioengineering or any similar field. Ideally textile processing.
* Working with Engineering Contractors for sourcing custom components and machinery
* Experience in scaling up technologies from bench top prototype to production scale
Skills
* Problem-Solving: Exceptional problem-solving skills in the context of designing machinery. The ability to address complex engineering challenges and find elegant, optimal solutions in a timely manner.
* CAD: Proficiency in CAD, preferably OnShape, with the ability to organise and work collaboratively in large assemblies. Following general conventions such top-down design and BS8888.
* Parts Selection: Understanding when to use standard parts versus custom parts. Strong expertise in selecting, installing, and integrating equipment, particularly conveyors, motors, and automated systems. Preferably, candidates should have existing supplier networks to leverage.
* Strong expertise in selecting, installing, and integrating equipment, particularly conveyors, motors, and automated systems. Preferably, candidates should have supplier networks and understand when to use standard vs. custom components.
* Technical Skills: The ability to adjust designs to meet different limitations and specifications, most notably Design for Manufacturing (DfM). Understanding Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) in the context of production machinery. The ability to perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) would be beneficial but not required
* Process / Industrial Engineering: An understanding of Process or Industrial Engineering would be beneficial, but not required
Find out more about Fibe:
* Website
* New Scientist Article