Principal/Senior Engineer

The Opportunity – Principal/Senior Engineer

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About the role: 

Reporting to the MidRange E&C Engineering Manager, the successful Principal/Senior Engineer will be responsible for key aspects of the electrical design and development across JCB's Backhoe Loader and Site Dumper product ranges.

Backhoe Loaders remain one of JCB's most iconic and globally recognised product lines, while Site Dumpers play a critical role in supporting the company's construction and infrastructure customers worldwide. As these products continue to evolve through increased electrification, connectivity, automation, and regulatory requirements, this role offers an exciting opportunity to influence the future direction of electrical systems across two strategically important machine ranges.

You will support the delivery of electrical engineering activities within the MidRange business, driving design excellence, ensuring successful delivery against programme milestones, and championing innovation, quality, reliability, and standardisation across the platform. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you will help develop robust, customer-focused solutions that support JCB's commitment to performance, productivity, and technological advancement

What does this role involve day to day? 

• Lead the specification, design, development, and delivery of electrical components and harness architectures across the JCB Backhoe Loader range, ensuring compliance with JCB engineering processes, standards, and programme requirements. 

• Own the end-to-end delivery of wiring harness systems, coordinating design activities internally and through the Electrical Distribution Systems (EDS) team to achieve quality, cost, weight, and timing targets. 

• Develop, manage, and execute component and harness release plans, ensuring all deliverables are completed in line with project milestones and New Product Introduction (NPI) gateways. 

• Define, specify, validate, and release electrical components and harness assemblies, working closely with suppliers, purchasing, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure robust and cost-effective solutions. 

• Provide technical leadership and governance for electrical architecture decisions, ensuring consistency, scalability, serviceability, and future product platform alignment. 

• Collaborate effectively with the India Design Centre and other global engineering teams to support design delivery, workload management, and knowledge sharing. 

• Maintain accurate and comprehensive engineering records, drawings, specifications, BOMs, and change documentation in accordance with JCB processes and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) requirements. 

• Drive standardisation and component reuse across Backhoe Loader platforms, promoting common architectures and best practices to improve efficiency, quality, and maintainability. 

• Work collaboratively with Mechanical, Software, Systems, Manufacturing, Service, and Validation teams to ensure the successful integration of electrical systems throughout the machine. 

• Lead technical problem-solving and root cause investigations using recognised methodologies including FMEA, DFMEA, PFMEA, 8D, to deliver robust corrective and preventive actions. 

• Champion best practice in electrical component selection, installation, harness routing, retention, protection, EMC performance, and serviceability throughout the product lifecycle. 

• Support machine validation, reliability growth, and field issue resolution activities, ensuring electrical systems meet customer expectations and product durability targets. 

• Contribute to technology roadmaps, continuous improvement initiatives, and the development of engineering standards, tools, and processes to enhance future product delivery. 

• Mentor and support junior engineers, providing technical guidance and fostering the development of electrical engineering capability within the team.

This will be suited to you if… 

• You have at least 3-5 years’ experience within Tier 1 or OEM environments (on-highway or off-highway) 

• You bring technical experience in engineering design and have key interests in electrical schematic / harness design 

• You have at least 3 years’ hands-on experience using CAD and/or harness design tools 

• You’re educated to HND/Degree level in an electronics-based discipline (or have equivalent practical experience) 

• You have a solid understanding of engineering quality systems, processes and standards 

• You demonstrate experience of component placement and harness/pipework routing best practices 

• You’re an effective communicator, able to coordinate tasks across multi-disciplinary and global teams 

• You’re highly organised, with strong attention to detail and a commitment to accurate documentation and record keeping 

• You’re proactive, solution-focused, and motivated to drive high-quality engineering outcomes within a complex product environment

What happens next? 

Ordinarily, our Resourcing Team reviews and shortlists CVs. If shortlisted, you’ll speak to one of our Recruiters to discuss the role further. Our interview process usually consists of an initial team’s interview followed by an in-person interview. We’ll keep in touch throughout the process but if you have any questions, please get in touch at recruitment@jcb.com  

What’s in it for you? 

This is your chance to join a company that values expertise not only in rewards but also in real employee care. At JCB you don’t just get a competitive salary, 33 days’ holiday and access to our company pension—you can also use our onsite gym, in-house doctor and dentist. We have an ULEV car scheme available for our employees too. Then there’s the JCB Rewards Hub, which gives you discounts with high street retailers. Feel like biking to work? There’s our Cycle to Work Scheme. 

We value diversity and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. 

We’re committed to ensuring our recruitment process is fair and inclusive. If you face any accessibility challenges with your online application and require additional support, you have the option of speaking to a member of our Recruitment Team who can support you to complete an application in an alternative format. If you would benefit from this support, please email recruitment@jcb.com, and a member of the team will be in touch. 

Recruitment Agencies: JCB does not accept any speculative approaches to present candidates for advertised vacancies.