Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Recruitment
Engineering and technical appointments within advanced manufacturing.
The engineers who design, industrialise and improve complex products can choose where they work. Most move through people they trust, not job boards. Core Search finds them, tests their technical depth and helps you win them.
Roles we recruit
Mechanical and Design Engineers
Concept to detailed design, 3D CAD, drawings, tolerance stacks and design for manufacture.
Development Engineers
Prototype build, testing, validation and improving products through their life.
Manufacturing Engineers
Processes, tooling, fixtures, work instructions and getting new parts made right first time.
Production and Process Engineers
Yield, cycle time, process capability, root cause and continuous improvement on the shop floor.
NPI and Industrialisation Engineers
Taking products from design release to stable production, including APQP and PPAP.
Stress and Analysis Engineers
FEA, CFD, hand calculations and simulation that sign off designs before metal is cut.
Software and methods we search for
We search across every common platform and method. If your team uses it, we can find engineers who know it.
CAD
SolidWorks, Siemens NX, CATIA V5 and 3DEXPERIENCE, PTC Creo, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, Solid Edge and Fusion 360.
Analysis and simulation
ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN and Patran, Altair HyperWorks, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, MATLAB and Simulink.
Systems and methods
Teamcenter, Windchill, ENOVIA, SAP and other ERP systems. GD&T to ASME Y14.5 and ISO GPS, DFM and DFA, APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, 8D, Lean and Six Sigma.
Why these hires are hard
Strong engineers are rarely out of work, and the best ones are not reading adverts. Many briefs also ask for an exact sector match, which shrinks a small pool even further.
Engineers who combine sound design with real production experience are scarce. When they do move, they usually have more than one option and a counter-offer to weigh.
How we search
- We challenge the specification where it narrows the pool without adding value. For example, we ask whether sector experience really matters or whether proven skills from an adjacent industry will do the job.
- We map the local market before we start, so you know how many people fit and what they earn.
- We headhunt directly, including engineers in adjacent sectors who would never see your advert.
- We test technical depth before you meet anyone: design ownership, tolerancing, materials, DFM and real examples of problems solved.
- We manage the offer and the counter-offer, so a good process does not fall over at the last step.
Who we work with
Motorsport and automotive suppliers, aerospace and defence manufacturers, machine builders, medical device and scientific instrument makers, and specialist manufacturers across Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and the UK.
Questions
Do candidates need experience in our sector?
Not always. Many strong placements bring proven skills from an adjacent sector. We will tell you honestly when sector experience matters and when it is only narrowing your pool.
How quickly can you shortlist?
For most roles, we share a market view within days and a shortlist within two weeks. Rare skills take longer.
Do you recruit contract engineers?
Core Search focuses on permanent appointments, from experienced engineers through to senior and principal roles.
What areas do you cover?
Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the wider Midlands are our base, and we recruit nationally.
Need a design, manufacturing or process engineer?
Tell us what you are trying to hire and we will tell you honestly what the market looks like.