Senior Consultant Mechanical Engineer

As a Senior Consultant Mechanical Engineer at CDP, you will develop products that make a difference. These span a wide range of areas, including novel medical devices and drug delivery systems, cutting-edge diagnostics and consumer devices.

You will provide leadership and specialist expertise beyond your own delivery: leading complex projects and technical work, developing the people around you, and influencing the quality and effectiveness of CDP's work. Working within a CDP service team, and closely with the Service Team Manager, Markets, Subject Matter Experts and multidisciplinary colleagues, you will lead client programmes from early concept through to launch into manufacture.

The role sits on the Leadership Path. Alongside deep technical expertise, your primary contribution is guiding teams and major workstreams, upholding delivery, quality and communication standards, developing others and creating the conditions for them to succeed.

We are looking for leaders who bring others with them and who thrive on change: people who adapt their approach as projects, clients and CDP evolve, help their teams do the same, and contribute to business growth through strong client relationships, proposals and the continuous improvement of how we work.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Client Engagement

• Lead client relationships across projects, acting as a strategic partner who understands the client's business context, anticipates needs and shapes work proactively.

• Communicate CDP's approach and value confidently, including with senior client contacts, through reports, meetings, presentations and video calls.

• Identify and develop new opportunities within accounts, working with Markets to convert them into proposals and follow-on work.

• Lead sales and marketing efforts, including proposals for complex, multidisciplinary work, marketing collateral and representing CDP at conferences and events.

• Coach others in client engagement, helping less experienced colleagues build confidence and credibility with clients.

Technical Expertise

• Lead the mechanical engineering of client projects as Technical Lead, subject matter expert or technical reviewer, ensuring quality, compliance, risk management and performance.

• Review and oversee the analysis and development of engineering problems through brainstorming, mechanical first principles and theoretical calculations, CAD development, simulation and lab testing.

• Oversee prototype production in CDP's internal workshops and with external suppliers.

• Identify, own and approve documents that support product development, working within CDP's quality management system, including the additional requirements of medical device projects where applicable.

• Adapt the technical approach as requirements, evidence and client priorities change, making sound, well-reasoned judgements when information is incomplete.

• Drive continuous improvement in engineering methods, tools and processes, including the adoption of AI and digital tools, and contribute expertise to the development of the service's offerings.

Project Leadership & Contribution

• Hold the Project Leader role on larger or more complex projects, with ownership of the project delivery plan, team, client relationship, budget and project review cycle.

• Lead and empower multidisciplinary teams, setting clear direction and bringing people with you through change, setbacks and shifting priorities.

• Manage risks, issues and dependencies proactively, keeping teams focused and steady under pressure.

• Be trusted to take on difficult projects, including those that need to be brought back on track.

• Support and coach more junior Level 4 Project Leaders, and share what works with other Project Leaders across CDP.

• Mentor and develop more junior engineers through technical guidance, review and constructive feedback, supporting the Service Team Manager in building team capability.

Values

• Lead by example on CDP's values, fostering engagement, fairness and inclusion across teams.

• Embrace change and respond with confidence to new challenges, helping others adjust their approach and see change through.

• Collaborate across services, markets and functions, engaging others early and seeking diverse perspectives.

• Challenge ideas openly and professionally, then commit fully once decisions are made and help others align behind them.

• Share knowledge, insight and best practice across the wider business.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Skills and Attributes

• A leader who brings others along: builds trust, creates clarity and motivates teams to deliver.

• Adaptable and resilient; comfortable with ambiguity and change, and able to help others navigate it.

• Outstanding presentation and client communication skills, with the confidence to engage senior stakeholders.

• Commercially aware, able to spot opportunities and turn them into well-scoped proposals.

• Creative and analytical problem solver with strong engineering judgement.

• Delivery-oriented and pragmatic, balancing quality, risk, cost and client outcomes.

• A coach and mentor who invests in the growth of others.

• Communicates with clarity and respect, adapting style to the audience and building alignment.

Education and Experience

• Degree educated in Mechanical Engineering or an equivalent related subject.

• Track record of leading projects from concept through to production, taking responsibility for quality, time and profit.

• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams, including coaching or mentoring less experienced engineers or project leaders.

• Evidence of adapting successfully to change, for example new sectors, technologies, team structures or client priorities.

• Significant commercial experience in one of the following environments: technical/design consultancy; technology start-up; new product development/engineering department.

• Excellent creative and technical abilities in many of the following areas: concept generation; system-level design; engineering analysis and detail design; 3D CAD; prototyping and lab testing; materials selection; analysis of static, dynamic, fluid or thermodynamic systems; design for high and low volume manufacture; design for high reliability; launch into manufacture; manufacturing support; manufacturing process development.

• Experience writing proposals and building a client network, including through conferences and events.

• Experience in regulated sectors such as medical devices, drug delivery or diagnostics is desirable.

Benefits

Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) is an end-to-end innovation partner, propelling global brands and ambitious start-ups to success. We build breakthrough products and services – from insight to ideas, prototypes to production – bringing innovation to life. Our teams are multi-disciplinary, uniting scientific rigor, design ingenuity, and engineering excellence for consumer and healthcare clients. People-centred, deeply collaborative, and – above all – expert, we’re uniquely positioned to shape the future for consumers, patients, and industry. Even our ownership model is innovative: We’re 100% owned by our employees, ensuring an open culture and a total commitment to our projects’ success. As part of our benefits package, we offer:

• flexible working
• a discretionary bonus
• excellent learning and development opportunities
• a 12% non-contributory pension
• private healthcare
• electric vehicle lease salary sacrifice scheme
• share incentive plan
• 33 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays