Location: Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Company: King Group of Companies
Training provider: University of Warwick, WMG
Apprenticeship standard: Level 6 Product Design and Development Engineer (ST0027)
Introduction
The King Group of Companies is looking for a motivated and ambitious Degree Apprentice Product Design & Development Engineer to join our engineering team in Market Harborough.
This is an exciting opportunity to begin a professional engineering career while studying towards a Level 6 degree apprenticeship with the University of Warwick. You will become part of a business that designs and manufactures specialist engineered products and systems, supporting live projects from concept through design, development, build, test and continuous improvement.
About the Role
As a Degree Apprentice Product Design & Development Engineer, you will support the design, development and improvement of products and engineered systems across the King Group. You will work as part of the engineering team on real projects, developing your knowledge and skills across the full product lifecycle.
Your responsibilities will develop over time, but are expected to include:
- Supporting engineering projects from initial customer or business requirement through concept generation, detailed design, build, test and implementation;
- Assisting with the creation and revision of 3D CAD models, engineering drawings, bills of materials and technical documentation;
- Contributing to product design specifications by interpreting customer needs, technical requirements, relevant standards and operational feedback;
- Supporting concept development, option evaluation and design reviews, considering performance, safety, quality, manufacturability, cost and serviceability;
- Carrying out engineering calculations and structured technical analysis to support component, assembly and system design;
- Supporting prototype, development and validation work, including fit-up reviews, inspections, testing, fault finding and design refinement;
- Working closely with manufacturing, quality, purchasing and project teams to ensure designs are practical, robust and suitable for production;
- Assisting with engineering change management, root cause analysis and product improvement activities;
- Supporting the integration of mechanical, structural and, where relevant, electrical or control-related elements into product designs;
- Presenting technical information clearly through reports, project updates and design documentation;
- Completing a work-based project that delivers measurable business value while meeting the requirements of the apprenticeship and degree programme.
What You Will Learn At Kings
This role is intended to give the successful candidate broad and meaningful exposure to real product development activity. Depending on the projects live at the time, this may include:
- Concept and detailed design of trailers, specialist transport equipment, vehicle-related systems, engineered structures and fabricated assemblies;
- Design for manufacture and assembly, linking engineering decisions to fabrication, machining, bought-out components, finishing and final build;
- Material and process selection, including consideration of structural performance, durability, joining methods and service conditions;
- Verification and validation activity, including testing, inspection feedback and design iteration;
- Quality and compliance support, including technical records, design review inputs and controlled engineering change;
- Cross-functional project delivery in a real manufacturing environment
What we are looking for
We are seeking someone who is genuinely interested in engineering design and development and who wants to build a long-term career creating and improving real products.
You should have:
- A strong interest in mechanical or product engineering;
- A desire to understand how engineered products move from concept to final manufacture and use;
- Good analytical and problem-solving ability;
- Strong communication skills and a willingness to learn;
- The ability to work carefully, methodically and collaboratively;
- A hands-on and inquisitive attitude, with enjoyment in exploring how things are built, how they function and how they can be made better
Entry requirements
Applicants must meet the entry requirements for the University of Warwick degree apprenticeship programme. As a minimum, this includes:
- 112 UCAS tariff points;
- GCSE Maths, English and an additional STEM subject at grade C / 4 or above;
- Post-GCSE study in Engineering or a relevant STEM subject, with Physics recommended;
- A Level Maths at Grade B;
Why join King?
At King, you will not be limited to observation. You will contribute to real engineering work from an early stage and develop your knowledge within a live design and manufacturing environment. This apprenticeship is intended to help you grow into a capable Product Design and Development Engineer by combining structured academic learning with meaningful workplace responsibility.
You will gain:
- Experience on live engineering projects;
- Support from experienced engineers and cross-functional teams;
- Practical exposure to design, development, manufacturing and validation activity;
- The opportunity to apply academic learning directly to real business challenges;
- A strong platform for a long-term engineering career within the business.
About King Group of Companies
The King Group of Companies designs and manufactures specialist engineered products and systems for demanding applications in transport, defence, nuclear and energy blue-chip customers. Our work involves solving real-world engineering challenges through practical design, technical problem solving, robust manufacture and continuous improvement. This makes King an excellent environment for an apprentice developing in product design and development, with exposure to the full engineering lifecycle from concept through to operational delivery.
Apply
This vacancy is designed for an individual who wants to develop as a professional engineer through a combination of university study and practical industry experience. If you are motivated by design, development, technical problem solving and seeing ideas become real engineered products, we would like to hear from you.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from any suitably qualified persons.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice to see how we manage your data, which can be found by clicking on the below link:
https://www.hwmartin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GRP_POL_006-Candidate-Privacy-Notice-300423.pdf