Design Performance Engineering Manager

We are seeking an experienced and inspiring engineering leader to head our Design Performance Engineering department, leading a team of highly skilled mechanical and electrical design engineers. This is a pivotal role responsible for driving technical excellence, innovation, and engineering governance across the design and development of advanced electrical machines, including generators and motors.

The role is initially offered for 12m either Inside IR35 or as 12m fixed term.

As Head of Design Performance Engineering, you will ensure the effective application of engineering processes, standards, and best practices while leveraging deep technical expertise to deliver robust design solutions that meet customer, product, manufacturing, and certification requirements. Working at the forefront of aerospace technology, you will play a key role in shaping product performance, reliability, and manufacturability, whilst developing and mentoring a high-performing engineering team.

• Manage all the Design Performance Engineering resources
• Assure the delivery of all Design for manufacturing, cost, reliability, etc called DFx requirement of our designs.
• Manage staffing and skill plans to achieve Business objectives and maintain Department capability.
• Assure quality and fitness for purpose of design and definition, from the product concept through to manufacturing drawings.
• Develop scalable Department structure to facilitate growth and succession planning
• In conjunction with the other Engineering departments, ensure sufficient senior engineering resource is provided to the Lead Engineers and Product Specialists to support future and committed projects.
• Support the definition and flow down annual Business Objectives, including monitoring and corrective actions to ensure they are achieved.
• Ensure all activities to be delivered by the team are effectively communicated, planned for and delivered on time.
• Lead the team when required to resolve highly complex and unusual problems. 
• Ensure highest Department value for money, optimising individual, team, process and tools effectiveness.
• Staff:  approx. 20 engineers
• Financial responsibilities: approx. 3 million€.

 Accountabilities

• Accountable for the continued competitiveness of SE&P products by achieving excellent technical performance of all Machines products through challenging, advising and vetting product design solutions
• Accountable for ensuring concept design of new and existing electrical machines are manufacturable and that the detailed definition is appropriate to optimise the manufacturing and assembly processes.
• Accountable for ensuring product engineering design activities are completed to support project timescales and budget commitments.
• Accountable for relevant ‘Milestone’ deliverables and ensuring they are identified, declared, validated and monitored in order to achieve current milestone compliance target.
• Accountable for ensuring that projects are provided with adequate resource according to their needs
• Accountable for developing and maintaining the Knowledge Base and Skills Base of the department.
• Accountable for ensuring the continuous improvement of the Technical Referential documentation and its use by the team.
• Product design documentation is reviewed and approved according to required timescale
• PIP project design reviews are supported as required.
• New Tools requirements are identified and introduced as required

• Degree or equivalent qualification in an appropriate Engineering discipline and proven track record of relevant Electro-Mechanical or Mechanical Design experience.
• Should have a working knowledge of CAD systems and best practice in their use, and of detailed design and drawing principles.
• Extensive experience of concept design and development of rotating machines, ideally of electrical generators and/or electric motors
• Must have an understanding of engineering materials and production methods relevant to them
• Proven leadership and people management skills with a proactive and energetic style and ability to facilitate the training and personal development of direct reports
• Ability to effectively allocate and manage engineering resources and meet the resource and management challenges of an increasing workload under controlled headcount and budget conditions
• Must be able to effectively communicate, formally and informally with peer group, other team members, suppliers, customers and outsourced providers or sub-contract agencies
• Ability to gain credibility within the stakeholder audience, including peers, management and customers, produce and deliver presentations to employees at any level and customers
• Ability to analyse and resolve complex problems by devising creative and effective solutions.
• Competent in using Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project tools
• Ability to generate performance metrics to measure the quality and delivery performance of the Engineering team, and use this performance information to further improve the performance of the team.
• Must have the right to work in the UK, no sponsorship will be offered
• Must be able to work onsite in Pitstone at least 3 days a week

IF THE EMPLOYED ROUTE IS CHOSEN:

• Early finish on a Friday (midday)
• 5 weeks holiday per year plus statutory bank holidays
• Personal pension scheme whereby 5% contribution from employee and 8% from employer plus salary sacrifice
• Death in service life insurance – covering up to 4x annual basic salary in the event of death in service
• PEGI Share Scheme
• Career development within Safran Group
• Training & development are a focus
• Onsite canteen

IF THE CONTRACTOR ROUTE IS CHOSEN:

• Early finish on a Friday (midday)
• Onsite canteen