Mechanical Design Engineer
Ferrous Works · Leeds, United Kingdom
- Salary
- £52K – £66K/yr
- Job type
- Full-time
- Level
- Senior
- Location type
- On-site
What this role actually involves
CareerHub analysis
Ferrous Works is hiring a Mechanical Design Engineer on a full-time basis in Leeds, United Kingdom. The role is on-site and pitched at senior, so the hiring team will expect working familiarity with CAD, Mechanical design and Tolerance analysis rather than classroom exposure. There are 5 core responsibilities attached to the position; the first two are usually what the interview actually focuses on. Ferrous Works operates in manufacturing, which shapes both the pace of the work and the kind of examples that land well in an interview.
About the job
Design precision components for energy infrastructure, working to tight tolerances and a heavy documentation standard alongside a shop floor you can walk onto.
Responsibilities
- Produce detailed designs and drawings for precision components
- Run tolerance and failure analysis on new designs
- Work directly with machinists to make designs manufacturable
- Maintain design documentation to customer and regulatory standard
- Support the apprenticeship programme with technical mentoring
Requirements
- Degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent
- Five years in a design role within manufacturing
- Strong CAD skills and experience of design for manufacture
- Experience working to documented quality standards
- Working towards or holding chartered status
Benefits
- Chartership support and mentoring
- Premium overtime rates
- 7% pension match
- Annual profit share
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree
The skills that will be tested, explained
Written by our editorial team, not taken from the listing.
Project management
On the job: Turning an ambiguous goal into a sequence of deliverables with owners and dates, then keeping the plan honest when reality intervenes.
How it is assessed: Behavioural questions about a project that slipped and what you did about it.
On your CV: State budget, team size, and delivery date versus plan.
Also listed: CAD, Mechanical design, Tolerance analysis.
Salary insight
This role advertises £52K – £66K/yr. For a senior position in Leeds, United Kingdom, treat the top of the band as achievable only if you match nearly every requirement listed. If you are asked for expectations first, give a range whose bottom you would genuinely accept, and confirm what sits alongside base pay — bonus, pension, leave, and any allowance for commuting.
Where this role leads
- 1Lead Mechanical Design Engineer — technical direction across several teams
- 2Mechanical Design Engineer Manager — if you would rather grow people than systems
- 3Principal or Head of function
How to apply for this role well
Tailoring your CV
- Put CAD, Mechanical design, Tolerance analysis in the top third of page one. Most screens for a Mechanical Design Engineer take under a minute, and recruiters read top-down.
- Mirror the language of the listing where it is honest to do so. If the advert says "CAD", write "CAD" — not a synonym an applicant tracking system will miss.
- Lead each bullet with a verb and close it with a number. "Managed reporting" is invisible; "Rebuilt weekly reporting for 12 branches, cutting prep time from 6 hours to 40 minutes" is not.
- The listing puts "Produce detailed designs and drawings for precision components" first, which usually signals the day-one priority. Make sure one bullet on your CV maps directly to it.
- Keep it to two pages and export as PDF so your layout survives.
Your cover letter
- Open with the specific role and where you saw it: "I am applying for the Mechanical Design Engineer role at Ferrous Works." No suspense, no throat-clearing.
- Paragraph two is the one that matters. Take a single requirement from the listing and give a concrete example of doing it, with the outcome.
- Show that you know something about Ferrous Works beyond its homepage — a product decision, a market they operate in, a recent change in manufacturing.
- Close with availability and a clear next step. Three to four short paragraphs, under 300 words, in the body of the email if you are applying by email.
- Never send the same letter twice. Reviewers can tell, and a generic letter is worse than none.
Before you hit send
- A CV tailored to this listing, saved as PDF with your name in the filename.
- A short cover note that names the role and one relevant result.
- Proof of the stated qualification, ready to send if requested.
- Two referees who have agreed in advance to be contacted.
- Ten minutes to complete the application form on this page.
Interview preparation
- Prepare a two-minute answer to "why this role at Ferrous Works?" that references the company's work in manufacturing.
- Have three STAR stories ready — situation, task, action, result — that cover CAD and Mechanical design.
- Expect at least one question about working on-site, especially how you keep work visible to people who cannot see your screen.
- Prepare two questions of your own. Good ones: what does success look like in the first 90 days, and what does the team find hardest right now?
- At this level, expect a scope question: a decision you made with incomplete information, and how you would make it differently now.
Certifications and registration
- Chartered Engineer status or active progression towards it
- IOSH or equivalent safety training
Industry context
Ferrous Works works in Manufacturing. As a 340 employees organisation, that affects how the Mechanical Design Engineer role is scoped: smaller teams tend to want breadth and a bias to action, larger ones want depth and evidence that you can work across functions. Candidates who research the sector — its customers, its regulation, its current pressures — interview noticeably better than those who research only the company.
Ferrous Works manufactures precision components for energy infrastructure, working to tight tolerance and heavy documentation requirements. Safety performance is published internally each month and the company has run without a reportable incident for three years.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mechanical Design Engineer role at Ferrous Works remote?
No. It is an on-site role in Leeds, United Kingdom.
What salary does this role pay?
The advertised range is £52K – £66K/yr. Total package may also include bonus, pension and leave, so ask for the full breakdown at screening stage.
How do I apply?
Use the application form on this page. You will need your CV and about ten minutes.
How long does a response usually take?
Two to three weeks is typical. If you have heard nothing after ten working days, a short, polite follow-up to the recruiter is appropriate and will not count against you.
What experience level is required?
Senior. If you meet roughly 70% of the requirements it is still worth applying — very few candidates match every line of a job advert.
Apply for this job
Your CV and details go to Ferrous Works. It takes a couple of minutes.
Know someone right for this role?
Share the listing — they land on this page with the full description and can apply from here.
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Listing last updated August 15, 2026. The analysis, skills breakdown, salary insight and interview guidance on this page were written by the CareerHub editorial team and are independent of the employer. Always verify pay and conditions with the employer before accepting an offer.