Principle Engineer We are seeking a technically skilled & commercially aware Mechanical / Materials Engineer to lead our Advanced Materials and Technology projects, within the Structures and Materials team, and help deliver the next ten years of Brompton products. The successful candidate will bring expertise in several of the following areas: Materials and manufacturing technologies, with specific focus around alloys (Aluminium, Titanium & Steel), materials joining and some work on structural polymers. As such, a detailed understanding of material composition, processing (including heat treatment and surface preparation), & microstructure analysis is beneficial. The ability to establish a plan to characterise a new material or process and support the structural engineering and design functions is a key part of the role. You will lead technology modules, including prototyping and testing to assess the engineering suitability of new technologies and running pilot studies to investigate promising options and deliver technology readiness. This will result in delivering technology projects to a particular Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to then be applied in the core development projects. You will be entrepreneurial in your approach to building and initiating technology projects and seek to build partnerships, support the preparation of bids to obtain grant funding and leverage the Catapult agreement with WMG to maximise matched funding and deliver on our strategic technology roadmap. Act as focal point for triaging materials and technology support requirements from across the business and maintain & build a network of external partners with appropriate skillset to support the requirements of the wider business. Provide technical mentoring for others within the structures team to develop materials and joining specialisms. Working with the Lead Engineer for Structures and Materials you will manage the Materials Lab space to ensure that the area is in good working order and efficiently servicing the Engineering, Design and Quality functions. THE CANDIDATE Minimum: Experience, preferably within a manufacturing environment (i.e. bicycle, automotive, motorsport or similar industry) Degree in Mechanical Engineering and/or Material Science or similar vocational experience in a related field An understanding of the applications of Lab Work – sample preparation, microscopy, failure analysis techniques Knowledge in joining technologies is necessary to support ongoing projects – structural adhesives, brazing, welding, fasteners etc. Direct experience with common manufacturing processes (machining, extruding, forging, rolling, drawing, cold forming, swaging, sheet metal forming etc…). Awareness of Production engineering and manufacturing engineering. Strong analytical skills. Data driven. Good networking skills and ability to develop relationships with suppliers and technology partners. Good commercial awareness and understanding of the wider business context of technology requirements. Understanding of research methodology and approach. Previous experience on Research projects. Project management knowledge (even if small projects) Willingness to expand their knowledge towards new manufacturing processes. Good presentation skills and capable of communicating to a varied audience across all levels of the business. Good organisation skills (to manage projects with a very brief life cycle). Proactive, highly motivated, a self-starter and a self-learner. Very good communication skills and soft skills. Occasional travel will be required as part of the role and so a willingness to travel to visit research partners and suppliers is needed ( Preferable: An awareness of current bicycle manufacturing techniques A record of successful project(s) where multiple stakeholders were involved. Use of lab equipment – Tensile test apparatus, hardness machine, microscopes, sectioning and polishing Project management accreditation a bonus, but not essential Sufficient SolidWorks CAD proficiency to be able to achieve a degree of self-sufficiency in the development of concept models and equipment. Knowledge of FMEA & PFMEA. High proficiency of Microsoft Excel