Senior Mechanical Engineer

LOCATION: CALMSDEN, CIRENCESTER, UK - WITH FIELD TRAVEL AS REQUIRED

ON-SITE: 5 DAYS

THE LAST FRONTIER

The Arctic is a place of extremes: unforgiving, untamed, and undergoing rapid change. A literal defrosting reveals a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity spanning energy, defence, logistics, research, and infrastructure.

Arctic Research and Development (ARD) was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox—an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence—is why we exist. Our solution is autonomy.

We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don't always have to.

Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.

THE ROLE
We’re looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the design, build, and deployment of cold-hardened hardware — from field-ready energy systems to autonomous surface and sub-surface platforms. You’ll work from first principles to engineer real-world solutions that operate where failure isn’t an option. You’ll be responsible for end-to-end design, push hardware and material limits, and take your work into the field — from the workshop to the Arctic.

* Please note: this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship *

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, test, and deliver Arctic-ready hardware from cradle to deployment for ARD’s product-line

• Drive materials choices, joinery, sealing, and reliability under thermal/mechanical stress

• Run cold-chamber and durability testing, along with Test Engineer, to ensure performance in sub-zero climates

• Integrate closely with electrical, software, and deployment teams (systems, software, GIS, RF)

• Set QA standards to ensure our systems stay bulletproof in the harshest conditions

• Travel to the Arctic for R&D field testing and meetings with industry reps

REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• 5+ years industry experience developing hardware for extreme environments

• A degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a portfolio of high-fidelity hardware development

• Advanced skills in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, PDM)

• Experience with taking a product from concept design to production, with a strong grasp of DfMA

• Hands-on prototype and testing experience, working alongside multi-disciplinary engineering teams

• Readiness to operate in safe but cold environments while conducting R&D prototype field tests

Desirable

• Knowledge of environmental and reliability testing (e.g. thermal cycling, vibration, shock)

• Familiarity of electrical systems to ensure a holistic approach to hardware design

• Basic understanding of RF systems and components

• Previous experience working within an R&D workshop

Future Security Clearance Requirements

As our business scales into the defence and security sectors, the responsibilities of this role are expected to evolve to include projects requiring UK Security Check (SC) clearance. While an active clearance is not required to apply or start in this role, candidates must be willing and eligible to undergo UK Government security vetting in the future should project requirements dictate it.

To meet the standard eligibility criteria for UK standard SC vetting, you must typically have resided in the UK for the past 5 continuous years, hold a valid passport, and be capable of passing comprehensive background, financial, and criminal record checks.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive compensation

• Equity: meaningful options as an early employee at an early-stage company

• Private Healthcare for you and your family, including dental and optical

• Enhanced maternity & paternity leave

• Real field exposure: travel to Arctic sites and Outposts when needed (genuinely, not as a gimmick)

• Mission-driven culture: focus on impact, not hours logged

• Small team, real ownership: what you build matters and ships

A note on who we want to hear from
We're building for one of the most demanding environments on Earth and we believe diverse teams build more resilient systems. We actively welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in engineering - whether that's by gender, ethnicity, disability, or background. If you're not sure you meet every requirement, apply anyway and tell us what excites you about the problem.