Head of Product Development (Engineering)

Head of Product Development (Engineering)

West Kent | Competitive Salary + Bonus + Benefits

Drive Innovation. Own Product Design. See Your Work in the Real World.

We’re working with a growing, engineering-led manufacturer delivering high-performance physical products into demanding, real-world environments. This is not theoretical design — these are products that must perform, comply, and last.

They are now looking for a hands-on Product Development leader to take ownership of R&D, design engineering, and continuous product improvement.

The Role

This is a design and development-led engineering role at its core.

You’ll be responsible for:

Leading new product development (NPD) from concept through to manufacture

Owning design decisions, materials selection, and product performance

Driving product improvement and value engineering across existing ranges

Translating real customer and site requirements into practical, manufacturable designs

Embedding structured R&D and innovation processes into the business

Working closely with production to ensure design for manufacture (DFM) and assembly (DFA)

This is a role for someone who still enjoys being close to the detail — CAD, problem-solving, testing, refining — not just managing from a distance.

What They’re Looking For

You’ll likely come from a product-focused engineering background, where you’ve designed and developed physical, manufactured products.

Typical backgrounds could include:

Building products / construction systems

Fabricated metal or structural products

Automotive or mechanical equipment

Rail, infrastructure, utilities or similar regulated environments

You’ll bring:

Proven experience delivering NPD projects end-to-end (concept → production)

Strong 3D CAD capability (SolidWorks, Inventor or similar)

A deep understanding of materials, manufacturing processes and product performance

Experience with DFM / DFA and engineering optimisation

Exposure to testing, validation, FEA or simulation tools

A mindset focused on improving, evolving and challenging designs

Leadership experience is important — but this is not a “sit back” role. You’ll still be hands-on in design and development work.

The Environment

Growing SME with strong technical ambition

Loyal, long-standing team and collaborative culture

Opportunity to shape how products are designed and developed

Fast-moving, where ideas can actually be implemented

The business is particularly suited to someone who:

Enjoys building and improving products, not maintaining legacy designs

Is naturally curious, forward-thinking and commercially aware

Wants to make a visible impact on a product range and engineering function

Why Join?

Genuine ownership of product development and R&D direction

A role where your designs will be built, used and seen

Strong influence across engineering, operations and commercial teams

Clear opportunity to modernise and elevate the engineering function

This is an urgent hire and interviews will move quickly for the right profile.

For a confidential discussion, contact Emily or Sammy at PWR.

METPERM