FORENSIC MECHANICAL ENGINEER | Manchester
Ever wondered what caused that bridge collapse? That explosion? That catastrophic mechanical failure?
This could be your career.
A world-leading international partnership of consulting scientists and engineers (50+ years investigating major incidents) is seeking an exceptional Mechanical Engineer to join their Glasgow-based forensic investigation team.
This isn't a desk job. This is CSI meets Mechanical Engineering.
THE REALITY
You'll investigate fires, explosions, structural collapses, and engineering failures for legal, insurance, and commercial clients. One day you're examining a failed pressure vessel in an industrial plant. The next, you're providing expert witness testimony in court. The day after, you're investigating a construction site incident.
You'll travel extensively, respond at short notice, and work on cases where your findings genuinely matter—to families, businesses, justice systems, and public safety.
WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE
* No forensic experience required. They'll train you from the ground up in their investigation methodologies, report writing, and expert witness protocols. You'll be mentored by seasoned forensic engineers with decades of experience.
* Genuine career progression. From Graduate Engineer to Partner. Your advancement depends on your ability and attitude, not arbitrary timelines.
* Intellectual challenge. You'll combine rigorous academic thinking with hands-on investigation—dismantling failed machinery, interpreting metallurgical evidence, reconstructing failure sequences, and translating complex engineering failures for judges and juries.
YOUR BACKGROUND
* Academically rigorous: MSc/MEng minimum (PhD highly desirable). Chartered or working towards CEng with IMechE.
But here's what really matters:
* Exceptional foundational engineering knowledge. You must have deep, demonstrable command of core engineering theories—thermodynamics, mechanics of materials, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, materials science, structural analysis. You don't need to be an expert in all of them (you might specialise in one or two), but your foundational grasp across the discipline must be excellent. If you learned it for exams and forgot it after graduation, this isn't for you.
* Theory into practice. You don't just have \"exposure\" to RCA, FMEA, or FMECA—you can actually apply academic principles and theory to develop hypotheses, test them rigorously, and present fact-based empirical evidence. You're comfortable moving from \"what happened?\" to \"why did it happen?\" using first principles thinking.
* Prepared to be tested. You'll be examined extensively on engineering academia and theory throughout the recruitment process and your career. If that prospect makes you uncomfortable, or if your theoretical knowledge has atrophied, this role isn't right for you.
* Exceptional written communication. This role involves extensive report writing—detailed, illustrated technical reports that must be tailored for vastly different audiences (solicitors, insurers, judges, technical experts from opposing parties). You must be genuinely comfortable writing at length, adapting your style and technical depth to your audience, and presenting your findings publicly in meetings and court.
You're intellectually curious, comfortable with ambiguity, and genuinely excited by work that matters. You understand that incidents can involve serious consequences, sometimes loss of life, and approach your work with appropriate empathy and professionalism.
THE PACKAGE
Starting salary that reflects the calibre they're seeking | Company car | 5 weeks holiday | Contributory pension | Medical insurance | Life assurance | Permanent health insurance | Relocation support available | Future international secondment opportunities | Partnership track
THE CATCH
This demands flexibility. Unpredictable hours. Short-notice travel across the UK and beyond. Court appearances. Working in sometimes challenging environments. Managing complex investigations from site attendance through to litigation support.
If you want 9-5 predictability, this isn't it.
If you want a career where every case is different, where your work directly influences justice and safety outcomes, and where your engineering expertise is genuinely valued—keep reading.
INTERESTED?
This is a rare opportunity to enter a profession that most engineers don't even know exists. If you're ready for an exceptional challenge that will test and develop you in ways a conventional engineering role never could, let's talk.
DM me directly or comment below for a confidential discussion.
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