Senior Mechanical Engineer

Introduction

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia's largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

What you will be part of

Saab is a leading defence and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe.

Empowered by its 28,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world.

Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems.

Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defence capability of several nations.

The Role:

A Senior Mechanical Engineer provides technical leadership across mechanical and aerospace development activities for unmanned systems. The role owns complex design tasks, mentors engineers, and supports product development from concept through flight test and production. This position sits within BlueBear - A Saab Company and is based in Bedford.

Key Responsibilities

Lead mechanical design and development activities across multiple aerospace programmes. Provide technical leadership, design reviews and mentoring for engineers. Own CAD architecture, detailed design, drawing release and configuration control using SolidWorks. Lead integration of propulsion systems, payloads and aircraft structures. Conduct engineering analysis including FEA (e.g. ANSYS/Nastran), hand calculations and design trade studies. Support manufacturing, assembly, verification, flight test and certification activities. Manage technical risks, DFMEA activities and engineering documentation. Engage with customers and stakeholders to translate requirements into solutions. Support estimates, planning and work package delivery.

Essential Skills

Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or equivalent. Extensive experience in mechanical design within aerospace, UAV, defence or similar sectors. Advanced SolidWorks or CATIA capability including surfacing, assemblies, drawing generation and GD&T, plus experience working within a PLM/PDM system. Experience leading products from concept through manufacture and test. Strong understanding of metallic and composite structures and manufacturing methods. Build, integrate and test prototype/rig hardware in the workshop Support fault-finding and rework on aircraft/test articles directly Experience with BS8888. Experience with DFMA, FMEA and engineering governance processes. Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and mentor engineers. Strong communication and customer-facing skills.