Product Design Engineer

Role: Product Design Engineer – Shaping Safer, Smarter Healthcare Solutions
​Location:​ Blackwood, Wales
​​Employment Type:​ Full-Time, Permanent
Join Vernacare – Shaping the Future of Healthcare Sustainability
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About Vernacare
At Vernacare, we’re passionate about designing and manufacturing sustainable healthcare solutions that protect patients, professionals, and the planet. With a proud legacy in British manufacturing and a global reach, we’re committed to innovation, safety, and circularity in everything we do.
​The Opportunity:
We’re looking for a Product Design Engineer to join our talented team at our Blackwood facility. This is a key role focused on the design and development of high-volume injection moulded sharps containers and auxiliary products. You’ll work across the full product lifecycle — from concept and prototyping to production and regulatory approval — with a strong emphasis on user-centred design, sustainability, and design for manufacture.
What You’ll Be Doing:

• Translate complex briefs into innovative, manufacturable product designs that support circularity and sustainability.
  
• Lead product development from concept through prototyping, testing, and production sign-off.
  
• Investigate and apply sustainable materials to enable high recycled content in product redesigns.
  
• Define design and performance requirements in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
  
• Conduct testing, maintain documentation, and present design concepts to cross-functional teams.
  
• Guide products through design control, verification, and validation in an ISO13485-compliant environment.
  
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams to ensure timely and successful project delivery.
  What We’re Looking For:
  Essential:
  
• Apprenticeship, HNC/HND in Industrial Design, Product Design, or equivalent experience.
  
• 3+ years’ experience in industrial/product design or engineering.
  
• Proven experience designing for low-cost, high-volume injection moulding.
  
• Strong understanding of DFM, moulded component design, and basic mould flow analysis.
  
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
  
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
  
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
  Desirable:
  
• Degree in Industrial Design, Design Engineering, or related field.
  
• Experience in regulated product design (medical devices preferred).
  
• Proficiency in Autodesk Inventor, Adobe Illustrator/InDesign, and FEA tools.
  Personal Attributes:
  
• Resilient, driven, and accountable.
  
• Detail-oriented with a passion for quality.
  
• Flexible and adaptable to changing priorities.
  
• A natural collaborator and confident communicator.
  Why Join Vernacare?
  We offer a competitive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and reward your contributions:
  Life Insurance – 4x salary
  25 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
  Enhanced Sick Pay Scheme
  EV & Cycle to Work Salary Sacrifice Schemes
  Employee Assistance Programme – includes 24/7 GP access
  Mental Health First Aiders
  Refer a Friend Scheme – up to £1,000
  Company Pension Scheme
  Quarterly Impact Awards – up to £2,500
  Manager Recognition Awards
  Ready to Design the Future of Healthcare?
  If you’re a creative, technically skilled designer with a passion for sustainability and innovation — we’d love to hear from you.
  Apply now or feel free to reach out directly for a conversation