13 Dec 2026
13 Dec 2026
Teddington, United Kingdom
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Engineering
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Starting from £56,118
Permanent

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Senior Project Engineer

About the Role
NPL is the UK’s National Metrology Institute. Our role is to research, create and deliver the measurement infrastructure which underpins the UK’s prosperity and quality of life across many fields of industry. NPL is seeking a collaborative and committed full-time Senior Engineer to work in Teddington. As a specialist in your field, we’ll be looking to stretch our capability and take our research to the next level. This flexible research engineer role comes with a generous salary and benefits package.

In this Senior Engineer role, you will be developing and applying leading-edge knowledge, techniques, and technology. Your work will have a tangible impact on our business and the UK as a whole. With your passion for your area of expertise, you will be continually learning and sharing with the broader team to increase their knowledge as well. At NPL, we learn from each other, respect each other, and work together to do better for ourselves and our customers.

If you were already working for us in this Senior Engineer - Senior role, here are some of the things you would have done last week:
- Led and conducted cutting-edge research, recognising aspects that could be commercially viable
- Represented NPL as needed to promote our work, raise our profile, and position us as a world-leader
- Helped put together winning bids, in line with our growth strategy, and worked collaboratively to develop partnership opportunities
- Ensured all our work was delivered to the very highest standards
About You
What You'll Be Doing

Leading the engineering delivery of complex products, systems and technology developments throughout the full product lifecycle.

Acting as the engineering focal point for multidisciplinary programmes involving mechanical, electrical, software and scientific disciplines.

Applying systems engineering methodologies to requirements capture, architecture development, verification and validation, risk management and design assurance.

Working with product owners, scientific stakeholders and customers to define product vision, roadmaps and development priorities.

Translating stakeholder needs and operational requirements into engineering specifications and delivery plans.

Developing and maintaining key technical documentation including:

Systems Engineering Management Plans (SEMPs)

Requirements specifications

System architectures

Verification and validation plans

Design and development documentation

Commissioning and acceptance plans

Managing technical trade-offs between cost, schedule, performance and risk.

Supporting business development activities, bids and strategic investment cases.

Building effective relationships with internal customers, scientific groups, industrial partners and external suppliers.

Driving continuous improvement in engineering delivery processes and technical governance.

Providing technical leadership and mentoring to engineers across the Engineering Operations Group.

Supporting the implementation and continuous improvement of NPL's engineering and project delivery frameworks.

About You

You are a technically strong engineer with a proven track record of leading complex product and system developments in highly regulated, technically demanding or innovation-led environments.

You are equally comfortable discussing product strategy with senior stakeholders as you are reviewing technical requirements, engineering architectures and project plans. You understand how successful products are developed, delivered and sustained throughout their lifecycle, and can bring together diverse teams to achieve challenging objectives.

You have excellent communication skills and can build credibility across scientific, engineering, operational and commercial communities.

What You Can Bring to the Role

Essential

Degree qualification in an engineering, physical science or related discipline.

Significant experience delivering complex engineering products or systems through the full lifecycle.

Strong understanding of Systems Engineering principles including:

Requirements management

Functional analysis

System architecture development

Verification and validation

Configuration management

Risk management

Experience of product development within regulated or high-technology environments.

Demonstrable experience of stakeholder management across technical, operational and senior leadership communities.

Experience balancing customer requirements, technical constraints and commercial considerations.

Strong project delivery experience with accountability for quality, cost and schedule performance.

Experience producing and reviewing technical specifications and engineering documentation.

Excellent communication, influencing and relationship management skills.

Desirable

Experience in scientific instrumentation, advanced manufacturing, metrology, automation or complex equipment development.

Knowledge of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.

Understanding of Systems Engineering lifecycle processes.

Familiarity with agile product development methodologies.

Chartered Engineer status or progress towards professional registration.

Experience supporting bids, proposals and strategic business cases.

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance. However, to work in this role in this department, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.
About Us
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview

NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.

We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.