Junior Mechanical Engineer
- Support the build of mechanical, electrical, and electronic assemblies for prototype, test, and development projects
- Assist with the setup and operation of test rigs, fixtures, and prototype systems under guidance from engineers and senior technicians
- Carry out basic functional, performance, and quality checks in line with instructions and test procedures
- Record build notes, test results, observations, issues, and changes clearly and accurately
- Support engineers and technicians with troubleshooting, fault finding, rework, and design iteration activities
- Assist with organising project parts, consumables, tools, and workshop materials
- Support procurement and inventory activities, including checking received parts against drawings, BoMs, purchase orders, or supplier information
- Help maintain a clean, safe, organised, and efficient workshop environment
- Follow build procedures, test instructions, risk assessments, and safe working practices
- Contribute ideas for improving build methods, test procedures, workshop organisation, and documentation
Essential Attributes:
- A strong practical mindset and genuine interest in hands-on engineering
- Care, patience, and attention to detail when assembling, checking, and documenting work
- Pride in producing clean, reliable, well-organised engineering work
- Willingness to learn from engineers, technicians, suppliers, and practical experience
- A methodical approach to problem-solving, fault finding, and understanding why something is not working
- Good personal organisation and the ability to manage assigned tasks responsibly
- Confidence to ask questions, raise issues early, and communicate clearly with the wider team
- Alignment with Hooper Quinn’s values of curiosity, craft, and resilience
Skills & Qualifications:
- Some hands-on engineering, workshop, build, repair, maintenance, assembly, testing, or practical technical experience is essential
- A relevant apprenticeship, college qualification, NVQ, BTEC, HNC, degree, or similar is advantageous but not required
- Experience may come from employment, apprenticeships, motorsport, Formula Student, university projects, personal projects, model engineering, vehicle work, electronics projects, fabrication, maintenance, or similar practical environments
- Basic experience using workshop tools and equipment safely and carefully
- Basic experience assembling mechanical parts, brackets, frames, mechanisms, fixtures, or other engineering components
- Familiarity with measurement and inspection tools, such as callipers, micrometers, rulers, gauges, or torque tools, is desirable
- Experience with wiring, crimping, soldering, connectors, cable routing, or simple electrical assembly is beneficial
- Ability to read or learn to interpret engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, assembly instructions, BoMs, and test procedures
- Familiarity with basic test equipment, such as multimeters, power supplies, sensors, or simple instrumentation, is advantageous
- Basic CAD familiarity or ability to interpret CAD images/drawings is beneficial but not essential
- Good communication skills and willingness to collaborate with engineers and technicians across disciplines
- Ability to maintain clear notes and documentation of build and test activities
- A positive, reliable, and proactive approach to varied work in a fast-moving engineering consultancy environment
Rewards & Benefits
- Competitive salary
- 8% pension
- Performance bonus scheme
- Comprehensive healthcare cover (extendibleto dependants)
- 36 days’ annual leave (inclusive of Bank hols.)
- TOIL policy
- Cycle2Work scheme
Development & Growth
- Significant opportunities for professional development
- Exposure to diverse, cutting-edge projects across multiple industries
- Mentoring and support from senior engineers
Culture, Team, & Environment
- Quarterly team days
- Annual company ski holiday
- A critical role within a thriving, ambitious, and innovativeorganisation
- Work alongside a close-knit team of exceptional people who excelin their fields
- Supportive working environment in an inspiring facility situatedin the Buckinghamshire countryside
To apply, please submit the following to careers@hooperquinn.com, using ‘V2603 – Mechanical Design Engineer’ as the subject of youremail:
1. CV
2. Cover letter outlining your suitability for this role and your motivation for joining Hooper Quinn
3. Response to the Application Exercises detailed below
You are welcome to include relevant work samples/portfolio in support of your application.
IMPORTANT:
1) Applications will not be considered if any of the three required documents is missing
2) Only applications submitted to the above email address will be considered
These short exercises are designed to give usan insight into how you think, communicate, and approach challenges, andequally, to give you a feel for the types of situations you may encounter inthis role. Please ensure your responses reflect your own reasoning andexperience. Submissions that appear to have been generated primarily by AItools will not be considered.
Please take no more than 45 minutes tocomplete the exercises.
EXERCISE 1: Fault Diagnosis
Duringtesting of a prototype system, a mechanical assembly driven by a small electricmotor fails after only a few minutes of operation.
Observedsymptoms:
- The motor becomes very hot
- The mechanism occasionally jams or stalls
- A faint grinding noise can be heard during operation
You haveaccess to the prototype, the test rig, and standard workshop tools.
Task
Describe howyou would approach diagnosing the problem.
Your answershould include:
- The possible causes you would investigate
- The checks or measurements you would perform
- How you would isolate the root cause
- How you would document and communicate the issue to the engineering team
Please limityour response to approximately 250 words.
EXERCISE 2: Prototype Build Planning
You are asked to assemble a prototypemechanical system consisting of:
- a motor
- a gearbox
- a mounting frame
- a small electronic control module
The components have arrived from differentsuppliers and must be assembled into a working prototype for testing.
Task
Describe how you would approach this build.
Your answer should include:
- The checks you would perform before starting the build
- How you would organise the assembly process
- What you would do to ensure build quality and reliability
- How you would record the build for future reference
Please limit your response to approximately 250words.
EXERCISE 3: Practical Engineering Experience
Please describe a practical engineeringproject, build, repair, test, or technical task you have worked on. This couldbe from employment, an apprenticeship, college, university, motorsport, apersonal project, vehicle work, electronics, maintenance, fabrication, oranother relevant setting.
Include:
- What the task or project was
- What your role was
- What tools, methods, or checks you used
- One problem you encountered
- What you learned
Maximum: 250 words
Hillesden
Buckingham
MK18 4BY
Royaume-Uni
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