FEA Tools & Methods Engineer

At McLaren Racing, we believe only by chasing performance in everything we do can we give ourselves the best chance of success. Performance on track and in the factory. Performance for our people, our business and our partners. It’s about more than winning. It’s about hitting the highest standards, and then raising the bar again.

Purpose of the Role:

To drive, implement, and deliver methodology, process, and workflow advancements in our Structural Analysis capabilities, enabling our team to utilise the tools more effectively and maximise the structural performance of our car.

Role Dimensions:

•  Central role in the Structural Design Team, and you’ll also be working closely with HPC, Software Development, and CFD teams to drive FEA tools development.
• This role is predominantly factory based but may involve occasional travel when working in collaboration with third parties.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Establishing what process improvements are required in the team, by understanding current shortcomings by means of effective teamworking/ liaising with other members of the group.
• Deliver on the above improvements in methods/ processes, by researching, developing and testing new methodologies before rolling out to the rest of the team.
• Champion various tools used in Structural Design team in their workflow. Develop in-depth understanding of these tools and develop techniques to address their limitations or improve them.
• Develop a high level of understanding of the other factors influencing FEA methodology and performance: HPC hardware, software, numerical or empirical methods, correlation etc
• Mapping and automating workflows and processes; scripting of bespoke tools and plug-ins where suitable
• Be able to contribute and help maintain a large codebase.
• Investigate and benchmark new and alternative tools/ technologies and cost reduction opportunities, liaising with software vendors.
• Collaborate with data scientists to improve insights into track and lab test data

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Strong mathematical background
• Proven track record of scripting/programming in object-oriented programming languages (e.g. VBA, Matlab or Python).
• In-depth knowledge of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modelling and expertise in one or more of the following: FEA solver development, FEA process automation or FEA applications
• Experience in using simulations tools/packages in industrial applications is required.
• Knowledge and experience with Abaqus and Altair Hyperworks/ Optistruct is preferred

Personal Attributes:

• Team player but with the initiative to make own decisions and work with minimal supervision.
• Positive, Enthusiastic and self-motivated
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Inquisitive and forward-thinking, always looking for novel and creative solutions to problems
• Adaptable and capable of working in a dynamic environment
• Able to work autonomously under pressure to meet tight deadlines
• Be able to guide others within the team and lead by example

What McLaren can offer?

We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part.

We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.