Test and Development Engineer - KTP Associate

Full-time (37 hours per week) fixed-term for 36 months

Cross Manufacturing Ltd, in partnership with the University of Bath, is looking for a talented PhD graduate with relevant engineering skills to develop next-generation brush and film-riding seals for rotating turbomachinery. The aim is to improve engine performance, reduce emissions, optimise manufacturing, and expand market reach, enabling Cross to pursue emerging markets aligned with the global transition towards sustainable propulsion and power generation.

This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project is a unique opportunity that will bring together an exciting combination of industrial expertise working alongside academics from one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities. 

Cross Manufacturing Ltd is a UK-based company and a world leader in the design and manufacture of precision metallic sealing solutions for the automotive, aerospace, and power generation industries.

About the role

As a KTP Associate, you will lead this high-profile and strategically meaningful project, allowing you to apply your academic achievements in an industrial setting. You are expected to have the confidence and ability to manage your own workloads to ensure outputs, including leading on meetings. You will receive practical and formal training, gain marketable skills, broaden your knowledge and expertise within an industrially relevant project, and be supported by both industrial and academic mentors. You will be responsible for engaging with and embedding new knowledge within both the business partner and the University.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A PhD in mechanical engineering, or extensive R&D experience within industry;
• Experience with modelling and simulation using tools such as Matlab Simulink;
• Experience of experimentation and experimental methods;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills with a professional and creative attitude;
• Proven capability in project management and in driving initiatives forward;
• Excellent problem-solving skills.

The post will offer the following benefits:

• Valuable experience and highly transferable skills;
• To build your professional career at a dynamic, ambitious and forward-looking company;
• Management training and mentoring by an Innovate UK KT Adviser;
• Access to a wealth of academic resources to complete the project;
• Access to two residential training sessions aimed at developing project management skills;
• A generous personal development budget & time allowance. 

Further information

It is essential that you understand how KTP works with business & the University, and the vital role you will play. For information about KTPs please visit https://www.ktp-uk.org/

This is a full-time role for a fixed-term period of 36-months. It is expected to start no later than 9 September 2025 and you will be based at the company partner’s premises in Devizes.

There is a two-stage interview process, held on different dates with an in-person interview at Cross Manufacturing in Devizes.

Any questions about this role please email partnerships@bath.ac.uk

What we can offer you:

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality & intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees & students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, & community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

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