Design Engineer - Solidworks

Design Engineer
Haverhill, Suffolk
Full-time, Permanent, Office/Site Based
£38,000–£42,000 per annum, depending on experience

Certus Recruitment is working with an established UK manufacturer of commercial furniture and acoustic products to recruit a hands-on Design Engineer for its growing Design & Engineering team.

This is an opportunity to take products from concept through to manufacture, combining 3D CAD design with practical engineering and CNC manufacturing.
 
You'll work closely with production, help develop new products and play a key role in improving manufacturing processes, including the development of new 5-axis CNC capabilities.

The Role

• Design and develop furniture, office pods, screens and associated components for in-house manufacture.
• Produce accurate 3D CAD models, assemblies and detailed manufacturing drawings using SolidWorks.
• Prepare CNC programs, nesting data and production information for CNC routing machinery.
• Support the implementation and development of 5-axis CNC manufacturing technology.
• Apply Design for Manufacture (DFM) principles to improve machining, assembly, material usage and production efficiency.
• Work with manufacturing teams to resolve technical issues and improve production processes.
• Develop existing products, components and manufacturing methods.
• Maintain accurate technical drawings, bills of materials and production documentation.
• Manage multiple projects from initial concept through to production.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, simplify processes and support lean manufacturing.

What We're Looking For

• Strong working knowledge of SolidWorks Professional, with the ability to produce detailed, production-ready CAD designs.
• Experience creating manufacturing drawings and technical documentation.
• A good understanding of CNC machining and manufacturing processes.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail and a practical approach to engineering.
• The ability to manage multiple projects, work independently and collaborate effectively with production teams.
• Good organisational, communication and IT skills, including Microsoft Office.
• A full UK driving licence.

Desirable experience includes:

• SWOOD CAM & Nesting or comparable CAM and nesting software.
• Programming or preparing manufacturing data for 3-axis and/or 5-axis CNC routers.
• Experience in furniture, joinery, woodworking, panel processing or a related manufacturing environment.
• Additional SolidWorks tools such as PDM, DriveWorks or Composer.
• Adobe Creative Suite and an understanding of lean manufacturing or continuous improvement.

The Opportunity

• Salary: £38,000–£42,000, depending on experience.
• Holiday: 21 days plus UK Bank Holidays, increasing by one day per year of service up to 25 days.
• Working hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:30am–5:30pm; Friday, 8:30am–5:00pm, with a one-hour lunch break.
• Location: Haverhill, Suffolk — fully site-based.

You'll have the opportunity to influence product development, work with modern manufacturing technology and help improve the efficiency and capability of an established UK manufacturer.

If you're a Design Engineer who enjoys combining CAD expertise with practical manufacturing, CNC technology and continuous improvement, we'd like to hear from you.

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.