ROXUK128 – Development Engineer-Design Authority

Roxel is an Anglo-French Company that designs, develops and manufactures a range of solid propellant rocket motors for use in tactical missiles. Its operations are spread across several sites in the UK and France and it has an annual turnover of about £130M and over 700 staff.

The UK operations are entirely based at Summerfield, Kidderminster, where we have a requirement for a permanent Development Engineer (Design Authority or DA) reporting to the Design Authority Team Leader. The successful candidate will work as part of a team on projects spanning from concept design, demonstration, development, qualification and production, through to customer in-service support.

Rocket motors combine in one system many diverse scientific and engineering principles. The motor structure must be lightweight yet able to resist the extreme pressures and temperatures associated with propellant combustion. The operational environments are equally severe combining extremes of temperature, mechanical vibration and shock. Although specialist engineers support the Design Authorities, this role offers a unique and stimulating opportunity for engineers willing and able to broaden their knowledge and experience. A Design Authority is methodical and organised in their work and a ‘hands on’ approach to working is essential.

Depending on experience, a successful candidate will be offered a position as either an Assistant, Lead or Senior Design Authority.

Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities of the Design Authority include but are not limited to the following:

Managing design evolution to meet customer requirements.

• • Responsibility for clearance of detail production drawings, ensuring conformance to BS8888 and manufacturability.
  • Leading and completing DFMEA’s.
  • Approving production processes and tooling.

Demonstrating compliance with customer requirements.

• • • Specifying and reviewing structural, thermal and ballistic analyses.
    • Reviewing key suppliers’ methods of manufacture and control procedures.
    • Specifying, monitoring and reporting rocket motor trials.
    • Leading trials readiness reviews.
• Adhering to EN9100 processes, in particular the RD² process, understanding and sharing Technology Readiness Levels and Class of Difficulty Assessments.
• Producing and delivering formal technical presentations to the customer.
• Producing product technical specifications and detailed technical reports.
• Ensuring appropriate validation testing is carried out prior to formal qualifications.
• Leading formal design reviews at the relevant design phases and ensuring actions are taken and completed on time.
• Responsible for design and production certification and producing a Certificate of Design for the rocket motor.
• Customer technical interface leading on all technical matters with the missile prime contractor (e.g. MBDA, Thales, SAAB) and the end user (e.g. MoD, DGA).
• Leading technical investigations.
• Liaison at all levels within the business, manufacturers and suppliers.
• Arranging/managing specific trials such as structural testing, rocket motor firings, laboratory scale testing (quantitative testing of materials, etc)
• Dis-assembly/assessment of fired rocket motor hardware.

These responsibilities require close liaison and understanding with Roxel specialists in CAD design, stress analysis, thermal analysis, ballistic analysis, solid propellants, materials, trials, production engineering and project management.

Skills/ Qualifications

Candidates shall have a formal qualification (degree or equivalent preferred) in mechanical, aeronautical or related engineering discipline.

Key attributes include the following:

• A sound understanding of engineering (mathematics, stressing, materials (metals and polymers) and manufacturing techniques).
• An interest and aptitude in both the theory and practical aspects of engineering and in particular rocket motor design.
• An ability to assimilate and evaluate technical information from a wide range of disciplines.
• Attention to detail is paramount.
• An ability to present complex problems clearly and logically to other specialist and non-specialist engineers.
• Communicate and work effectively with other technical specialists.
• A good understanding of DFMEA, ‘Design to Cost’ and ‘Design for Manufacture’ principles.
• Be able to communicate and work well with the customer to meet their requirements and timescales.
• Good organisational skills and work well under pressure.
• Computer literate, Power Point, Excel, Word, etc (essential).
• Excellent document/report writing skills.
• Trials/assessment testing experience (e.g. structural testing, vibration, etc).

Additional training will be provided for those areas where experience and key skills may be missing.

How to apply

Please email  your CV and motivation letter: uk_recruitment@roxelgroup.uk.com

Please specify your salary expectations as part of the process.

Please note: Obtaining a Security Clearance is a requirement of employment at Roxel UK. The sucessful applicant must have constantly lived in the UK for at least 5 years. Please check guidelines by looking on the below link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Application form