Role Overview 

The mechanical design engineer will be involved in the design, prototyping and testing of mechanical components, modules and complete systems. The role will require a creative analytical approach to design novel and elegant mechanical solutions for Refeyn’s current and next generation instruments.

They will join the growing engineering team, and will liaise with research, product and operations teams to capture requirements and translate these into technical specifications. The mechanical design engineer will take accountability and responsibility for producing 3D designs and mechanical drawings, validation/verification activities and continuous improvement of Refeyn’s product portfolio.

This can role can be either a level 4 - Mechanical Design Engineer or a level 5 - Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, depending on experience 

Key responsibilities for this role include:  

• Mechanical design engineering of key modules and features, from product concept through to customer delivery.
• Work closely with product, research and operations teams, gathering and translating requirements for specification, design, test and evaluation, delivery to production and production support.
• Interaction with critical suppliers across a range of products, materials and processes (machining, fabrication, finishing, casting, injection moulding etc)
• Apply mechanical design knowledge and proven skills to produce mechanical systems that meet user requirements, performance specifications, quality, and robustness targets. A clear understanding of all aspects of the mechanical design is critical.
• Understand, design and implement simple user interactions and ergonomics.
• Produce detailed models, design drawings, documentation and prototypes of critical modules and systems.
• Oversee testing, internal evaluation and conformance testing of mechanical assemblies.
• Produce technical documentation, assembly and installation instructions of critical modules and assemblies
• Support handover of new features/products/modules to production and addressing ECRs and NCRs in collaboration with the Operations team as part of Refeyn’s continuous improvement effort
• Take ownership of the mechanical design drawing packs for Refeyn’s product portfolio

We are ideally looking for someone with the following skills and experience:

• MEng in mechanical engineering or similar, or equivalent experience 
• Laser alignment and construction
• Systems, process engineering
• Practical electronics experience (desirable)
• Mechanical design of systems involving optics, detectors and electronics.
• Product design involving high precision optical alignment and design for manufacture.
• Expert use of mechanical engineering CAD systems (SolidWorks), tolerance analysis and thermal design
• Experience developing scientific instrumentation.
• Full cycle product development and transfer to manufacturing (desirable)
• Industrial design and ergonomic user interfaces/mechanisms
• Exposure to automated and motion systems
• Strong analytical and mathematical problem solving skills

We know there is no such thing as the perfect candidate and that there is great value in transferrable skills, so please don’t feel you have to tick all of the above boxes to apply!

Why work for Refeyn?

Compensation and core benefits

• We anticipate a base salary of £50,000 to £70,000 for this role, depending on candidate experience 
• 25 days annual leave per year in addition to bank holidays
• Up to 7% employer matched pension contribution
• Private health insurance from day one plus critical illness cover, income protection and life insurance
• Give as You Earn and Cycle to Work salary sacrifice schemes.
• Annual Company and Individual bonus scheme 

Family Friendly Benefits

Refeyn offers YellowNest Nursery Scheme to all employees once probation is passed, and new parents can benefit from up to 17 weeks fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, 4 weeks fully paid paternity leave, plus an annual allowance for emergency childcare.

Supporting your Development

All employees receive access to Linkedin Learning which offers thousands of courses to support their personal and professional development. We also run frequent training sessions on both hard and soft skills.

Creating an Engaging Culture

Refeyn supports hybrid working where the role allows and offers flexible start and finish times. We also have a subsidised weekly lunch for onsite employees and a vibrant social calendar which includes holiday parties and midsummer festivals plus an annual team budget for managers to plan team-building activities.

Values-Led 

Refeyn is committed to celebrating each other’s differences and creating a dynamic, driven and diverse culture where everyone can flourish. We are proud to have been awarded Committed Status by the Inclusive Employers Standard in 2024 and are working hard to create a safe and empowering environment for all.

We firmly believe that there is great strength in building teams with different voices, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds so that we can continue to share the team workload and enable our customers to succeed, and we welcome applicants from all sections of society to join us on our mission to transform analytical workflows using the power of light.

Refeyn is proud to use anonymised hiring practices. Identifying information such as a candidate's name, email address, date of birth and photo will not be visible to the hiring manager when they review CVs.

Who we are

The role

The day-to-day

• Own the end-to-end hardware design of UAV systems, from early-stage prototyping through to flight-ready builds
  
  
• Integrate mechanical, electronic, and sensor subsystems into cohesive, manufacturable drone architectures
  
  
• Develop and iterate physical prototypes rapidly, balancing performance, weight, and durability constraints
  
  
• Define and execute hardware validation and flight-readiness testing, including bench, integration, and field trials
  
  
• Collaborate closely with software, firmware, and avionics teams to ensure seamless hardware/software integration
  
  
• Produce clear design documentation, schematics, and BOMs in accordance with company quality standards
  
  
• Evaluate and select COTS components, working with suppliers to meet technical and programme requirements

You should apply if you

• Have hands-on experience designing and building UAV or similar complex autonomous hardware systems
  
  
• Are comfortable working across both mechanical and electronic domains — from airframe structures to PCB layout and power systems
  
  
• Have a strong prototyping mindset, with experience taking hardware from concept to flying article at pace
  
  
• Are proficient with CAD tools (e.g. SolidWorks, Siemens NX) and comfortable with electronics design tools (e.g. Altium)
  
  
• Have experience defining and running hardware validation and test campaigns
  
  
• Thrive in fast-moving environments where iteration speed and engineering judgement matter equally
  
  
• Exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points.

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields 

• Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns

• The work is unique. We operate in a domain that has highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, and where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique Engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world

• Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defence industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve. Advances in our field of world are not incremental: Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward

• In our domain, success is a matter of order-of-magnitude improvements and novel capabilities. This means we take bets, aim high, and focus on big opportunities. Despite being a relatively young company, Helsing has already been selected for multiple significant government contracts

• We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted (and encouraged) to practise responsible autonomy and critical thinking, and to focus on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing you will have a say in how we (and you!) work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn’t work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about

What we offer

• Competitive salary and VSOP options

• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation

• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance

• Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)

• Social: regular company events and monthly social allowances

• Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers

• Family support: 5 days of paid family emergency leave, 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

• A hands-on onboarding program (affectionately labelled “Infraduction”), in which you will be building tooling and applications to be used across the company. This is your opportunity to learn our tech stack, explore the company, and learn how we get things done - all whilst working with other engineering teams from day one 

Helsing is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.

Hey there, robot enthusiast!

If you're itching to dive into the world of robots and break free from the shackles of academia, then Dexory has the perfect gig for you! Say goodbye to those boring, one-trick robots confined to four walls – we're all about pushing boundaries here. Dexory's robots are the daredevils of the machine world, tackling extreme environments like champs. Picture this: our towering, 14-meter-high robot gracefully navigating through bustling warehouses like a pro, everyday, everywhere!

As a Robotics Commissioning Engineer, you'll be working behind the scenes, orchestrating the magic that brings our robots to life. You'll rub elbows with the production and deployment teams, being in the unique position of seeing a robot being born and letting it fly away from its nest. From tinkering with sensors to jazzing up their functionalities, you'll be the ultimate robot whisperer.

Please note: this is a full time position onsite 5 days per week at our Wallingford location.

Key Responsibilities:

• configuring sensors and other devices to be used when robots are built
• create tools and processes to improve the checking routines of new robots
• fully configure and calibrate new robots and test their functionalities
• closely interact with other teams and propose changes to make our robots better
• And the best part? Playing with real-life robots every single day – it's like being a kid in a futuristic candy store!

Qualifications:

• If you're a fresh-faced graduate with a degree in anything robotics-related, then welcome aboard!
• Got a knack for coding? Brush up on your C++ and Python skills – our robots speak that language.
• Familiar with ROS? Even better – you'll fit right in.
• Basic know-how of electronics and mechanical engineering? Check!
• Ready to ride the rollercoaster of constant changes and challenges? Buckle up!
• A genuine love for robots? We're all about that robot romance.
• And don't forget to bring your A-game when it comes to being diligent and careful – our robots deserve nothing less!

So, if you're ready to kickstart your career in the world of robotic awesomeness, then Dexory is where you belong. Apply now and let's make some robot magic together! 🤖✨

Benefits

Starting from the interview process and continuing into your career with us, you will be working by our four Operating Principles:

• Performance: High standards, outstanding results,
• Impact: Big challenges, bigger results
• Commitment: All in, every time
• One team: One mission, shared success

Joining our team and company isn't just about expertise; it's about embracing uncertainty with ambition. We're crafting world-changing solutions, fueled by a passion to redefine what's possible. We will look for you to help create and shape the future of logistics solutions through our products, our culture and our shared vision. 

You will also receive:

• Private healthcare via Bupa with 24/7 medical helpline 
• Life insurance
• Income protection 
• Pension: 4+% employee with option to opt into salary exchange, 5% employer
• Employee Assistance Programme - mental wellbeing, financial and legal advice/support 
• 25 holidays per year 
• Full meals onsite in Wallingford
• Fun team events on and offsite, snacks of all kinds in the office 

AAP/EEO Statement  

Dexory provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. It prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Please note: We are unable to provide sponsorship or relocation for this role.

Start date will be September 2026.