Primary Engineer develops a range of hands-on Design, Technology, and Engineering education projects, teacher training programmes, competitions, and resources. We use great engineering-themed ideas that are beautifully crafted to develop in young people the practical, technical, creative, and ‘soft’ skills needed to understand and pursue careers in engineering and the wider STEM landscape. We believe in the endless curiosity and creativity of young people and aim to significantly increase the number and diversity of young people pursuing STEM, particularly engineering careers by creating programmes that can be adopted and used in every school.
We have designed hands-on classroom projects/products that can be built by students in a variety of ways and include fluid-powered mechanical devices, electric vehicles, train, and construction projects. These sit alongside highly successful programmes which allow young people to experience distinct parts of the design process where they design solutions to problems they have identified and see universities build some of the best ones and projects which develop data skills through film and tv and combating climate change.
The role of the Product Design Engineer is to develop new products, extend and improve our offering of existing practical projects, the packs and resources that accompany them for predominantly primary aged pupils and their teachers and selective projects for secondary pupils and their teachers. Your goal is to spark the imagination of young people, relate it to the world of engineering and get them designing and building amazing things!
You will be managed by the Product Manager and will be part of the Product Team.
The Product Design Engineer will be responsible for:
End-to-end design and development of the products and resources to accompany them
Prototyping and sketching to communicate ideas, prove feasibility and expedite ideation
Evaluation and continuous improvement cycles of existing products
Exploring key contextual issues relevant to new and existing product developments
Developing practice and research in innovative forms of design, and utilising innovative design approaches in new and existing products
Being a key member of collaborative design workshops internally and with partner organisations
Identifying materials for products and kits which keep to budget and work with Warehouse to set requirements for sourcing of materials
Practicing user-centered and product design best practice to develop products which meet the needs of customers
Utilising generalist skills and knowledge of all types of engineering and science subjects to develop products in those areas, working with contractors/partners for specialist skills/subject knowledge and insights that are not your primary topics
Be able and enthused to integrate engineering skills, concepts, and sector specific themes into our existing and developing product lines
Skills and Experience:
We know that no one is the finished article, and learning is an important part of any fulfilling role – however, we believe the following skills and experience criteria are important for success in this position.
You have experience in a similar position
You have a degree/masters or equivalent work experience in product design engineering or similar
You like to take things apart, build things, and solve practical problems in creative ways
You have a long history of making things
You are adept at prototyping and visualising designs
You can source, design, and manage manufacture of materials for products
You are an effective collaborator and are adept in working across disciplines and experiences to co-design
You are friendly and professional and can manage successful relationships with co-design partners, contractors, and co-workers
You can work independently, when required, to produce and develop product ideas
You can persevere through ambiguity with positivity
You are interested in and care about technical skills development in others and are excited by the prospect of designing products which get young people designing and making
You are able to manage small projects and are eager to develop your project management skills
You are evidence-informed and customer-centric – and are experienced in undertaking research to understand the market, evaluate products, find new ways of doing things and make informed decisions.
You are endlessly curious, appreciate great design and derive great joy in making beautiful products that really work!
You can inspire through design, and understand how to engender curiosity and creativity through engagement with engineering
Bonus skills and experience
You have an interest in and experience of developing digital products
You have experience working with remote colleagues – and can form effective and positive relationships with team members with limited in-person contact.
Graduate applicants welcome
You do not have to meet 100% of the requirements to apply – if you think this opportunity sounds exciting and you think you’re a good fit, then we want to hear from you!
Working at Primary Engineer
Engineering skills are still underserved in primary and secondary schools – there is lots of work to do (and lots of room for growth)!
We are funded by and work with some seriously interesting companies and gov organisations (many blue-chip companies too)
We are a team innovative and creative people who seek new ideas and are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of young people in the UK!
We work with thousands of schools every year (we had over 50k pupil entries for just one of our competitions in one year!)
We run hundreds of celebration events with schools annually, so you will be able to see your work in action and the amazing effect it has on the pupils, teachers and parents involved!
We have some very big projects coming up for you to get stuck into
Our customers love our products – our evaluation surveys show 90% teachers highly rate the resources we provide and 96% of teachers agree that as a result of our training they understand the impact they have on children’s career aspirations and understand the benefit of including engineering in the curriculum.
We have a remote working culture, with 44% of our staff working remotely with regular expense paid trips to meet in person. We have a large office in Burnley Lancashire, and a small base in Glasgow. As the product department develops, their location is tbd.
We care about striving for the best for our staff, we are always listening and improving
Terms:
The post is full-time at 37.5 hours per week
Hours of work will be Monday to Friday between 08:30 and 16:30
29 days holiday including bank holidays.
To apply please submit a CV with covering letter.
Please note applications without a covering letter may not be reviewed.