Location: Stevenage (mostly onsite)Duration: 12 month contractRate: 50ph UMB (Inside IR35) Role details: Our client, a prominent player in the Defence and Security sector, is currently seeking a Principal Mechanical Design Engineer to join their team on a contract basis in Stevenage. This role offers an exciting opportunity to be involved with Europe''s leading Missile Systems Designer. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will engage in various engineering activities, supporting the transition of developmental designs into production environments and collaborating with suppliers on technical queries. Key Responsibilities:Carrying out mechanical design and proving activities for prime and variant products, including piece parts and assembliesSupporting and liaising with manufacturing to resolve problems and defectsAssisting with functional and environmental testing and trialsInteracting with suppliers and purchasing to address technical queriesPlanning and reporting on daily activities to meet project milestonesClarifying and helping to generate requirements, challenging unnecessary requirements to reduce lead time, unit production cost, and design complexityJob Requirements:Experience using the Creo 3D design toolUnderstanding of various manufacturing processes and tolerance studiesKnowledge of environmental testing, mass property calculations, and material selectionProficiency in FMEA, design for manufacture/assembly, and environmental gasket sealingExperience with str