Location: Maidenhead, UK
Salary: £45-55k + meaningful equity stake
About us
Cordon is a pioneering agri-tech startup reducing inputs (predominantly fertilizers and pesticides) for specialty crop farms. Cordon’s first product, the Loop, is a real-time, precision mixer that eliminates waste and enables precise application. The Loop has the potential to bring the world of prescription mapping and precision spraying to all of specialty farming, be that vineyards, fruit, vegetables or nuts. Launched in mid 2025, the Loop has already been sold to customers covering 12% of UK vineyard land.
We are a dynamic, innovative and passionate team. We build products for real people solving real problems, and we enjoy doing it. We believe in honesty, reliability, teamwork and getting things done.
The Role
This is an opportunity for an experienced Mechanical Engineer to join us in bringing our pioneering technology to more farms and more crops around the world. Cordon is a start-up with a small team of dedicated engineers, which gives everyone real scope to have a huge impact on the world of precision farming and develop the new skills needed to deliver quality products.
Reporting directly to the CTO, the successful candidate will expand the company's capabilities and act as the company's technical authority in mechanical design.
The candidate will work as part of a wider engineering team, collaborating across disciplines to solve multi-disciplinary problems. As a senior member of the team, you will take a leading role in critical activities such as running design and system reviews, owning FMEA documentation and coordinating tasks across small teams of engineers.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead full lifecycle product development (specification, design, development, testing, and manufacturing).
* Own the product CAD.
* Develop and maintain mechanical design and manufacturing documentation.
* Specify and design production-ready mechanical systems and components that meet rigorous user and safety requirements, aiming for usability and reliability.
* Conduct methodical experiments (in our workshop and on site), analyse data, and interpret results to inform design decisions and improve product performance, reliability, and safety.
* Continuously refine and improve product design and manufacturing planning to bring the product from small-scale to full-scale production.
* Collaborate closely with other team members, including electrical engineers, software engineers, manufacturing, and the commercial team, to deliver integrated solutions that meet our product goals.
* Develop strong relationships with key external suppliers and potential partners.
What We Offer
* The chance to be a pivotal part of a pioneering team, making significant contributions to sustainable agriculture.
* Salary of £45-£55k, including substantial stock options, ensuring you share in our collective success as we grow.
* A flexible working environment, this is a primarily on-site role; however, remote working is possible 1-2 days per week.
* A dynamic, innovative, and supportive work environment where your work directly contributes to shaping the future of sustainable agriculture.
* Opportunities for professional growth in an environment that encourages learning and experimentation.
* The opportunity to work on meaningful problems, with every day bringing new challenges and the chance to make a real difference.
We're Looking For Someone Who has
* Experience in developing products from initial conception to manufacture at moderate to large scale.
* A Bachelor's, Master's, or equivalent degree in Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, with at least 5 years of experience in industrial design, product development, and testing environment.
* Excellent CAD skills (OnShape or Solidworks experience is ideal, but not required)
* Demonstrates clear and effective communication, capable of conveying technical concepts in an understandable manner.
* Is committed to learning and innovation, with a knack for identifying and solving emerging problems.
Desirable Skills and Experience
* Experience in developing products for manufacturing in the UK.
* Previous experience developing agricultural products.
* Working experience with product lifecycle management (PLM) and finite element analysis (FEA) software.
* An interest in sustainable agriculture.
* UK driving licence.
* French language skills.