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Design Engineer CV Example

| By | Reviewed by the CV Genius CPRW Team

Design engineers use their engineering expertise to develop products, often from concept to production. Follow our design engineer CV example and three writing tips to optimise your design engineer CV.

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The first page of a single-column, maroon-accented design engineer CV with the applicant's contact information, personal statement, and work experience
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Personal Statement

Enthusiastic design engineer with 6 years of experience implementing new solutions to improve product quality and diversify manufacturing processes. Possess a thorough understanding of technical design and construction methods. Skilled in research, prototyping, and product development from initial stages to final installation and commissioning. Dedicated to achieving high team standards through excellent project management skills while taking on responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.

Work Experience

Design Engineer

WESTSHORE ENGINEERING, London | Aug 2020–Present

  • Investigate product design compatibilities and review bills of materials supplied by customers to ensure supplied equipment is compatible with the initial drawings
  • Manage design schemes for new products and compile relevant documentation to convert initial prototypes into refined and reproducible final products following BSI standards
  • Reduced product costs by over £1.5M by sourcing and vetting more competitive suppliers, developing new key product features, and redesigning appliance components
  • Increased product efficiency by 30% by training newly hired engineers on prototyping requirements, design standards, and technology implementation
  • Designed 15 interface components for energy-efficient fridges, including die-cast pieces, plastic units, sheet metal parts, and assemblies

Mechanical Design Engineer

SES ENGINEERING SERVICES, Birmingham | Sep 2018–Aug 2020

  • Collaborated with contractors and architects to design 3 light rail projects worth £700K by discussing the requirements of each assignment and creating preliminary drawings
  • Resolved issues with project performance by eliminating ineffective product materials and suggesting design modifications to reduce machine malfunctions
  • Submitted 20+ drawings per week, ensuring all designs complied with standard engineering practices before sending them to clients for final approval
  • Provided technical directions for a flagship building contract, focusing on drawing parts and assemblies, as well as assisting with mechanical issues

Trainee Engineer

MAYFLOWER ENGINEERING LTD., Sheffield | Sep 2016–Aug 2018

  • Created 25 models and prototypes through computer-aided design (CAD), and completed product tests by identifying risks and developing creative solutions to solve recurring issues
  • Collaborated with a team of 10 senior engineers to review existing products and discussed solutions to increase product quality and reduce yearly costs
  • Coordinated work overflow with tool makers to improve product quality and cycle time
  • Researched ideas for new products, discussed main requirements with clients, and crafted preliminary drawings through CADs

Education

The University of Sheffield, Sheffield | 2013–2016

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering — Upper second-class honours (2:1)

  • Relevant Modules: Manufacturing Processes, Machine Design, Robotics, Material Science, Linear Algebra

Northampton College, Northampton

  • A-Levels: Maths (A), Science (A), Technology (B), English (B)
  • GCSEs: 9 A–C including Maths, Applied Science, and Product Design

Additional Skills

  • Computer: MS Office Suit, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, NX CAD, C++
  • Professional: Project management, technical design, process improvement, product development, leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, time management

Hobbies & Interests

  • Reading
  • Sketching
  • Solving puzzle games
  • Volunteering

How to write your design engineer CV

Before you begin writing, make sure you know how to write a CV in a way that best emphasises your strengths.

Design engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and prototyping products and systems. These professionals are needed across engineering fields, including:

  • mechanical engineering
  • electrical engineering
  • civil engineering

As a design engineer, you need a CV that shows you have a solid engineering background along with a creative side.

Here are three tips to help you write a job-winning design engineer CV:

1. Write a personal statement that shows how you fit your target role

Your CV’s personal statement is your first impression on recruiters. So when writing your personal statement, show how you can add value to the target company.

To decide what to write, examine the job posting and identify the key requirements. Then, think about how your own skills and experience fit those requirements.

While your personal statement should address the design engineer job posting, other candidates will do the same on their CVs. Therefore, you should aim to create a unique personal statement. To individualise your personal statement, ask yourself:

  • do I have extensive or unique design engineering experience?
  • do I have a speciality?
  • how do I interpret the goals of the company, or what goals am I most excited about helping the company accomplish?

When you determine what’ll make you stand out from the crowd of design engineer applicants, put that information in your personal statement.

See how the design engineer candidate below creates a personal statement singular to them:

A personal statement on a design engineer CV customised for an automotive mechanical engineering role
Be specific in your personal statement to make it more authentic.

2. Add detail to your work experience section

Your CV’s work experience section is where you can show that you’ve applied engineering principles in a real-world setting and are able to work on diverse projects.

Demonstrate your knowledge of engineering and scientific principles, such as:

  • research
  • definition of constraints and criteria
  • maintainability
  • testability
  • external integration
  • simplicity
  • iteration

When you list the above general concepts in your work experience section, add specificity by describing particular projects or outcomes. Additionally, incorporate hard numbers into your work experience bullets.

Numbers can be summary statistics of your previous work, as in the following example:

  • Designed 15 interface components for energy-efficient fridges, including die-cast pieces, plastic units, sheet metal parts, and assemblies

Alternatively, numbers can be used to describe a single project, like so:

  • Reduced weight by 15% and cost-to-manufacture by 10% using iterative and innovative material design for a new powertrain, resulting in a contract worth £500K

If possible, highlight projects that showcase a variety of engineering skills.

3. Include top design engineer skills

Design engineers usually need at least a higher national diploma (HND) or a few years of work experience to develop the required technical skills. Useful technical skills (also known as hard skills) to include on your design engineer CV include:

  • developing innovative design solutions
  • designing aesthetics, materials, and functionality of components
  • model making, prototyping, and product testing
  • computer-aided design software (e.g., SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA)
  • IT skills
  • numeric literacy, including hand and complex calculations
  • identifying complex design problems
  • root-cause failure analysis
  • FMEA and FEA process
  • anticipating production issues
  • knowledge of PDM systems
  • industry-specific technical knowledge and expertise
  • knowledge of BS 8888

Throughout the design process, design engineers need to interact with clients as well as members of the product development, marketing, and manufacturing teams. So list some of the following soft skills (abilities related to your personality) on your design engineer CV to show employers you can collaborate well:

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