Mechanical Technician
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Mechanical Technician
Colchester
Full time - Monday-Friday
Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5:00pm, Friday 8:30am -4:00pm
£24ph + Holiday, Pension, Adecco Benefits
Are you a hands-on Mechanical Technician with a passion for innovation and precision engineering? Join our clients R&D Centre, where you'll play a vital role in developing cutting-edge X-Ray inspection and Bond Test equipment used globally in advanced manufacturing.
About the Role
As a key member of our engineering team, you'll support the design, development, testing and introduction of new products. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys practical engineering, prototyping, and solving real-world mechanical challenges.
You'll work closely with mechanical, electrical and software engineers - turning concepts into reality through test rigs, prototypes, and hands-on component modification.
You'll be based in our state-of-the-art R&D facility in Colchester within an office and manufacturing setting.
What You'll Be Doing
- Building and using test rigs to prove design concepts.
- Assembling, testing, and developing prototype equipment.
- Modifying mechanical components during design validation.
- Maintaining accurate records of design changes and test results.
- Working with BOMs and assembly drawings to ensure design intent is met.
- Kitting and managing new component parts for prototype builds.
- Supporting production teams during product handover and training.
- Operating workshop tools (lathe, mill, grinders, etc).
- Meeting project deadlines and working to agreed timescales.
- Producing sketches and writing technical reports.
- Supporting released products both in-house and in the field.
Additional Aspects of the Role
- Working in a cleanroom environment (PPE provided).
- Engaging with suppliers and external partners.
- Carrying out system safety checks.
- Working with ionising radiation and occasionally in confined spaces.
- Maintaining a safe, clean, and organised working area.
What We're Looking For
Essential
- City & Guilds, ONC, apprenticeship or equivalent in a relevant mechanical discipline.
- 2+ years' experience in a similar practical engineering role.
- Confident using workshop machinery (lathes, milling machines, etc).
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workload.
- Able to work independently and solve unexpected problems.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Proactive, decisive, and able to work under pressure.
Desirable
- Understanding of pneumatic and electrical principles.
- Experience in a similar R&D environment (3+ years).
- CAD experience.
Why work for Adecco?
- Candidate of the month incentives
- Boost rewards - discount vouchers and collect points to spend!
- Support programmes
- Eye Care vouchers
- Competitive pension scheme
We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention.
Adecco acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for the supply of temporary workers. The Adecco Group UK & Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
By applying for this role your details will be submitted to Adecco. Our Candidate Privacy Information Statement explaining how we will use your information is available on our website.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your City & Guilds, ONC, or apprenticeship qualification prominently in your CV header or Personal Statement — the advert lists this as the first essential requirement.
📊 Quantify your hands-on engineering experience: e.g. 'Assembled and tested 15+ prototype units across 3 R&D programmes, reducing design iteration cycles by 25%'.
🔧 List every workshop machine you can operate (lathe, milling machine, grinder) explicitly in a 'Technical Skills' section — the advert calls these out by name as essential.
🌐 If you have CAD experience, name the specific software (e.g. SolidWorks, AutoCAD) — the advert flags CAD as desirable and naming the tool improves ATS matching.
🎯 Include a bullet referencing cleanroom or controlled-environment working if applicable, as the advert specifically mentions cleanroom and ionising radiation environments as part of the role.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Assembled and tested 12 prototype units for a precision measurement system, identifying 8 design faults during validation and reducing engineering change requests by 30% before production release.
- •Operated lathe and milling machines to tolerances of ±0.05mm across 200+ modified components, supporting a 6-month R&D programme for a new inspection equipment platform.
- •Maintained BOM records and kitted component parts for 5 concurrent prototype builds, enabling a 2-week reduction in project handover timelines to the production team.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Adecco. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Adecco
Dear Hiring Manager,
The Mechanical Technician position at your client's R&D Centre in Colchester is precisely the kind of hands-on engineering role I have been seeking. With a City & Guilds qualification in mechanical engineering and over two years' experience assembling and testing prototype equipment, I am well placed to contribute to the development of X-Ray inspection and Bond Test equipment from concept through to production handover.
My background in practical engineering includes operating lathes and milling machines to tight tolerances, building test rigs to validate design concepts, and maintaining detailed records of component modifications and test results in line with BOM and assembly drawing requirements. I have worked in controlled manufacturing environments and am comfortable engaging with cross-functional teams of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers to turn design intent into functioning prototypes.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk us through how you would build and validate a test rig to prove a new mechanical design concept.
- ›How do you interpret and work from a Bill of Materials (BOM) and assembly drawings to ensure design intent is met?
- ›Describe your experience operating lathes and milling machines — what tolerances have you worked to?
- ›What steps do you take when modifying a mechanical component during design validation to maintain accurate change records?
- ›Have you worked in a cleanroom or with ionising radiation? What safety protocols did you follow?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to solve an unexpected mechanical problem under a tight project deadline.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to work independently on a prototype build with minimal supervision.
- ›Give an example of when you supported a production team during a product handover — how did you ensure a smooth transition?
- ›Tell me about a time you had to prioritise multiple tasks on a project. How did you manage your workload?
- ›Describe a situation where you identified a safety concern in the workshop. What did you do?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to solve an unexpected mechanical problem under a tight project deadline.
Describe a situation where you had to prioritise multiple tasks on a project. How did you manage your workload?