Role Title: Special Vehicles Senior Manager

Location: Shoreham - Hybrid

Job ID: 2025-3157

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world.

We are looking to recruit a Special Vehicles Senior Manager to lead the technical delivery of our UK Special Vehicle Programs and our UK Special Vehicles Engineering Team. The projects include a wide variety of different vehicle types with a range of power sources from conventional to alternative fuels. These vehicles cover a range of different applications for various defence and commercial applications where vehicles need tailoring to meet customer requirements.  The approach to delivery needs to be pragmatic and agile whilst meeting demanding customer requirements for technical specification, timing, robustness and durability. Managing the integration of complex systems such as chassis, electrical and electronic, thermal management, electrified auxiliaries, and component packaging. This position requires a hands-on leader with broad engineering expertise and proven people and project management skills to promote innovation and ensure successful execution from initial vision or concept to production.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the technical authority for assigned projects working closely with engineering teams from multiple disiplines and sectors
• Own and be technically responsible for engineering content, quality and solutions
• Ensure design integrity, compliance with standards, and alignment with customer requirements

Project Execution

• Lead the technical planning and execution of engineering tasks from concept through to small batch production (10’s not 1000’s)
• Translate customer needs into actionable engineering deliverables through robust requirements management and solution development.
• Manage technical risks, resolve issues proactively, and ensure the timely delivery of milestones.
• Prepare and coordinate analytical design calculations, simulations, and testing; evaluate and interpret results.
• Conduct and supervise experimental investigations, including data analysis and reporting.
• Prepare project reports, including cost and timing estimates, technical specifications, and updates
• Lead and support technical meetings both internal and external to Ricardo
• Identify and work with suppliers

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with internal teams (design, validation, manufacturing) and external stakeholders (suppliers, clients).
• Facilitate effective communication across disciplines to ensure alignment and progress.
• Represent the engineering team in customer meetings, technical reviews, and program updates.
• Lead (Special Vehicle Content) or support the development of proposals for potential work through customer and internal meetings.

Innovation & Problem Solving

• Apply engineering theory to address complex problems with practical, scalable solutions.
• Promote continuous improvement in design, validation, and integration processes.
• Foster and implement innovative approaches to meet evolving technical challenges.

Mentorship & Team Leadership

• Lead the special vehicle engineering team of between 5 and 10 engineers specializing in vehicle integration
• Guide junior engineers and design personnel, fostering a culture of technical excellence.
• Provide technical sign-off and mentorship on design reviews, validation plans, and documentation.
• Promote knowledge sharing and professional development within the team.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure all designs comply with regulatory, safety, and customer required standards.
• Review product designs for adherence to legislative and engineering standards as required.
• Supervise engineering documentation, including reports, BOMs, FMEAs, DVP&Rs, and test specifications.
• Uphold high standards of quality assurance throughout the product lifecycle.

Customer Focus

• Deliver excellent customer service by understanding and anticipating client needs.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor, building long-term relationships through reliability and performance.
• Make sure all deliverables meet or surpass customer expectations in quality, timing, and budget.

Must-Have Skills & Capabilities

Technical Expertise

• Be willing and able to work on UK defense projects that are classified up to and including Secret
• Vehicle and other Complex Systems Integration: Demonstrates proven experience in integrating subsystems such as thermal, braking, steering, electrified auxiliaries, and high-voltage components.
• Engineering Fundamentals: Possesses a strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, thermal, control and systems engineering principles.
• Design: has experience with or leading others using CAD tools (e.g., CATIA, Pro/E, AutoCAD), GD&T, FMEA, DVP&R, and engineering documentation.
• Product Lifecycle Management: Capable of managing systems from concept through production release and commissioning.
• Software Proficiency: Familiar with data acquisition software, systems requirements tools, and the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiar with developing robust Development and Validation plans from Requirements and executing same.

Project & Technical Leadership

• Technical Project Management: Ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
• Decision-Making & Sign-Off Authority: Confidence and competence to approve technical solutions and guide engineering direction.
• Supplier & Stakeholder Coordination: Experience managing external vendors and internal teams to meet technical and commercial goals.
• Financial Awareness: Understanding of project financial targets, cost estimation, and budget management.

Communication & Collaboration

• Clear Communication: Ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences, including clients and executives.
• Team Leadership: Experience mentoring junior engineers and promoting a collaborative team environment.
• Customer Orientation: Strong focus on understanding and meeting client expectations.

Preferred Skills & Capabilities

Industry-Specific Knowledge

• FCEV and BEV Architecture: familiarity with fuel cell and battery electric vehicle systems.
• Heavy-Duty on and off highway vehicle experience: experience with both defense and commercial vehicles is a strong plus.
• Industry (OEM) automotive system design and development processes

Advanced Engineering Tools & Methods

• Systems engineering tools: experience with requirements management software and systems modeling.
• Reliability & testing methods: proficiency with DOE, 8D problem-solving, and validation testing strategies.
• Agile and lean engineering practices: knowledge of iterative development and continuous improvement methodologies.

Soft Skills

• Strategic thinking: ability to align technical decisions with business goals.
• Adaptability: comfortable working in a fast-paced, matrixed organization.
• Innovation mindset: willingness to challenge norms and explore new technologies or approaches.

Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering; Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience in design, validation, manufacturing, and product release of vehicle systems up to small batch production.
• Experience with hybrid and electric vehicle systems is a plus.
• Experience with the design of automotive and truck chassis systems
• Proven experience in planning and coordinating design and/or production validation testing.
• Experience in developing engineering test specifications and analyzing test data.
• Strong problem-solving skills utilizing Design of Experiments (DOE), 8D, etc., etc.

Working here

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place. 

Work life balance 

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.

Benefits

We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health. 

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer. 

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date. 

Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.