Lead Mechanical Engineer

<p style="min-height:1.5em">LOCATION: CALMSDEN, CIRENCESTER, UK - WITH FIELD TRAVEL</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>THE LAST FRONTIER</strong></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">The Arctic is a place of extremes: unforgiving, untamed, and undergoing rapid change. A literal defrosting reveals a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity spanning energy, defence, logistics, research, and infrastructure.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">ARD was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox—an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence—is why we exist. Our solution is autonomy.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don't always have to.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>THE ROLE</strong><br />We’re looking for a Lead Mechanical Engineer to own the design, build, and deployment of cold-hardened hardware — from field-ready energy systems to autonomous surface and sub-surface platforms. You’ll work from first principles to engineer real-world solutions that operate where failure isn’t an option. You’ll lead end-to-end design, push hardware and material limits, and take your work into the field — from the workshop to the Arctic.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>CORE RESPONSIBILITIES</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Design, test, and deliver Arctic-ready hardware from cradle to deployment for ARD’s product-line</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Drive materials choices, joinery, sealing, and reliability under thermal/mechanical stress</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Lead cold-chamber and durability testing, along with Test Engineer, to ensure performance in sub-zero climates</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Integrate closely with electrical, software, and deployment teams (systems, software, GIS, RF)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Set QA standards to ensure our systems stay bulletproof in the harshest conditions</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Travel to the Arctic for R&amp;D field testing and meetings with industry reps</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>REQUIRED EXPERIENCE</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">7+ years industry experience developing hardware for extreme environments</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">A degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a portfolio of high-fidelity hardware dev</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Advanced in 3D CAD ( Siemens NX, SolidWorks, PDM)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Experience with taking a product from concept design to production, with a strong grasp of DfMA.</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Hands-on prototype and testing experience, working alongside multi-disciplinary engineering teams</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Readiness to operate in safe but cold environments while conducting R&amp;D prototype field tests</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>DESIRABLE SKILLS</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Knowledge of environmental and reliability testing (e.g. thermal cycling, vibration, shock)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Familiarity of electrical systems to ensure a holistic approach to hardware design</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Basic understanding of RF systems and components</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Previous experience working within an R&amp;D workshop</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"><br /><strong>WHAT WE OFFER</strong></p><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Competitive compensation</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Private Health Insurance</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Dental &amp; Optician</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Equity — meaningful options as an early employee at an early-stage company</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Real field exposure — travel to Arctic sites and Outposts when needed (genuinely, not as a gimmick)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Mission-driven culture — focus on impact, not hours logged</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Small team, real ownership — what you build matters and ships</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>A note on who we want to hear from</strong><br />We're building for one of the most demanding environments on Earth and we believe diverse teams build more resilient systems. We actively welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in engineering - whether that's by gender, ethnicity, disability, or background. If you're not sure you meet every requirement, apply anyway and tell us what excites you about the problem.</p><p>Find more <a href="https://www.arbeitnow.co.uk/english-speaking-jobs">English Speaking Jobs in United Kingdom</a> on Arbeitnow</a>