Freelance Product Design Engineer

Based in Hampshire, England · Remote position · Strong English required We're a start-up designing specialist parts for adventure and rally bikes, working closely with hand-picked UK-based fabrication partners. We're looking for a Product Design Engineer to join us and work directly with me — I'm the founder — to create our first catalogue of products. So far we have fourteen parts planned: most out of CNC-machined billet aluminium, with a smaller carbon range alongside. I ride what we build, so the product direction comes from actually using this stuff rather than from a spreadsheet. What I don't do is CAD. I work in sketches and ideas, and I need a design partner who can take those and turn them into something a fabricator can make. How we'd work together You'd get plenty to work from at the start of each part — a 3D scan, sketches or reference images, a video of me talking through what I'm after, and a written user story explaining what the part needs to do and why. From there you'd come back with a design direction, we'd talk it through and make any changes together, and you'd take it into CAD. We prototype in 3D print to confirm fit on the bike before anything goes to the manufacturer. You'd size the material thickness, ribbing and fixings for the loads the part will see, and talk me through your reasoning in plain terms so I can make informed decisions. You won't be guessing at fitment — we have a 3D scanner, so I can provide raw mesh of parts for reverse-engineering, of mounting points, or of the whole bike as you need it. What I'm looking for Someone with strong CAD skills — SolidWorks, Fusion 360 or similar — and a portfolio of parts that actually got made rather than just rendered. Real design-for-manufacture experience in CNC billet machining matters: tool access, fixturing, finishing, anodising. Structural experience is important. Some of these parts carry rider loads, and if one fails someone comes off the bike. I'm relying on you to work that through properly and flag anything you're not comfortable with. Beyond that, I'm after someone who can propose solutions from a brief rather than just model what's been specified, who's comfortable reverse-engineering from scan mesh data, and who'll tell me when an idea won't work. For the carbon parts you don't need to be a layup specialist — our composite partners advise on that — you just need to design shapes that are sensible to mould. If you ride, or you've worked with a small manufacturer, race team or workshop, that's a real bonus. The arrangement Freelance and part-time, paid per project phase or hourly — open to discussing what suits you. You'd work directly with me, with an ongoing pipeline of parts as the range grows. Everything is covered by an NDA and written agreement signed before we start: the designs and files are ours, and confidentiality applies both ways. I'll share the full product detail with shortlisted candidates. To apply Send me some examples of products you've taken from concept through to production — ideally including something that carries structural load — along with your rate.