Overview

Role: Senior/Principal Development Engineer

Location: Shoreham / Leamington Spa - Onsite

Role ID: 2025-2874

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world. Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company with over 100 years of engineering excellence and close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries. We provide expertise in delivering cross-sector sustainable products and solutions to help customers solve complex challenges.

The Role: Due to the expansion of business within the Ricardo Powertrain & Transmissions Development group we are actively searching for Development Engineers to work on Powertrain and Industrial focused projects across a wide spectrum of applications and their systems and sub-systems. Engineers will be based at our Shoreham or Midlands facility but should be flexible to work at other Ricardo sites and at customer locations in the U.K. for a pre-agreed period if required by a project.

The role requires an understanding of automotive components, systems and vehicle parts. An understanding of transmission operation and industrial engineering (power plant, industrial) would be beneficial. The job involves close cooperation with OEMs, suppliers, and test, design and analysis teams to define testing plans, analyse results, and make design recommendations for powertrain designs, vehicle interface systems or fault diagnostics projects. Projects may involve solo work or working within a cross-functional and possibly international team.

Key Responsibilities

• Team management and planning
• Proposal preparation and release
• Customer liaison
• Understanding of the product development process for powertrains & transmissions
• General mechanical engineering skills
• System and component specification development
• Rig and System testing validation testing
• Instrumentation and data capture
• FMEAs
• DVPs (Design Validation Plans)
• Structured problem solving (e.g., 8D, DAMAIC)
• Test procedure preparation and release
• Post-test teardown and inspection
• Metrology skills
• Understanding of component manufacture, supplier liaison and design release process (beneficial)
• Knowledge of production quality processes (ideal)
• Preparation and execution of component, system, engine and vehicle testing at Ricardo or on-site with customers
• Specialist instrumentation
• Prototype component manufacture
• Component and system functional and durability test rigs
• Functionality and durability engine dynamometer tests
• Functionality and durability vehicle tests
• Investigations and technical reporting for customer powertrain inquiries on current and advanced technology
• Preparation of work proposals and project planning activities
• Interfacing with engineering teams and specialists

Key Skills and Experience

• Strong ability to apply fundamental engineering principles; experience in the automotive industry and mechanical development is essential
• Initiative and interpersonal skills; strong written communication, PC and presentation skills
• A good Engineering degree is preferred but not essential
• Technical task management of projects and engineers
• Interfacing skills with internal & external customers
• Broad engineering knowledge of powertrain systems
• Supplier management
• Willingness to travel and work on client sites
• Ability to coordinate and understand information from multiple engineering departments
• Understanding of engineering drawings
• Experience with fault-finding techniques in the automotive industry
• Good project management and presentation skills
• Understanding of CAE and CFD techniques
• Understanding of engine component and system design for gasoline and diesel engines with basic knowledge of transmission operation

Working here

You will be welcomed into a workplace where every voice matters. We value diverse thinkers and doers and foster an inclusive culture. We support you to find your place and encourage you to apply your passion and expertise to deliver innovative solutions that benefit communities globally.

Work life balance

We offer flexible working arrangements – home, office, or hybrid. Wellbeing is central to our culture to help employees flourish and achieve their potential.

Benefits

Remuneration and benefits reflect our value for employees, including support for physical and mental health.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer with an ambitious diversity, equality and inclusion approach. We value diversity and recognise it drives innovation. We are recognised as a disability-confident employer and will support applicants through adjustments in the recruitment process.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application, a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Timelines vary with application volume; in some cases we may begin reviewing before the closing date. Ricardo is a disability-confident employer; please advise the recruitment team via recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you during the recruitment process.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Engineering and Information Technology