Proposal Engineer – Heavy Machinery
Chesterfield
£50,000 – £65,000 (DOE)
25 Days holiday + Bank Holidays
Private Healthcare + Life Assurance (2x death in service)
5% Pension Contribution
The Company:
Our client is a long-established engineering and manufacturing business supplying bespoke heavy machinery and turnkey systems to the aluminium processing, recycling, and wider manufacturing industries. Their projects range from £250k machinery upgrades through to £5m full system installations, and they work with international customers across Europe, Canada, and the Middle East.
To support continued growth, they are creating a brand-new Proposal Engineer role to bridge the gap between engineering, purchasing, and sales, ensuring proposals are technically robust, commercially competitive, and aligned with customer expectations.
The Role:
Reporting jointly into Engineering and Finance, this role is critical in developing proposals for complex machinery systems involving hydraulics, automation, and large mechanical structures. You’ll be responsible for translating customer requirements into compliant engineering solutions, producing detailed layouts, costings, and proposal documentation.
Your Responsibilities will include:
- Developing and delivering technical proposals for heavy machinery systems, ensuring compliance with standards and the Machinery Directive
- Producing 2D layout drawings and proposal documentation using AutoCAD and SolidWorks
- Collaborating with engineering, sales, and project management teams to define scope, requirements, and costs
- Preparing detailed BOMs, cost estimates, timelines, and risk assessments
- Translating customer specifications into practical, cost-effective engineering solutions
- Supporting the development of hydraulic and automation system layouts for industrial environments
- Liaising with suppliers and subcontractors to gather technical and commercial inputs
- Contributing to design reviews and continuous improvement of proposal processes
Qualifications and Experience:
- Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in heavy equipment or industrial machinery design/proposals
- Strong knowledge of hydraulic systems, mechanical structures, and automation
- Proficiency in AutoCAD (2D) and SolidWorks (3D)
- Experience in cost estimation, BOMs, and proposal documentation
- Familiarity with the Machinery Directive and CE marking requirements
- Strong communication, analytical, and organisational skills
The Benefits:
- Salary £50,000 – £65,000 (DOE)
- 25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays
- 5% pension contribution
- Private healthcare
- Life Assurance (2x death in service)
- 4 days office-based, Friday remote
- Training on product range, with opportunities to shadow the design team
How to Apply:
If you are a mechanical engineer with strong experience in heavy machinery and proposals, and are looking to take ownership of technically challenging projects in an international engineering environment, we’d love to hear from you.
Please send your CV to Matt Taylor at matt.taylor@ata-recruitment.co.uk
or call 0116 218 1644 for more details.
ATA is committed to creating a diverse workforce and is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation
