Digital Product Design & Manufacturing Intern (paid) job at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Full Time

ABOUT US

Northern Conversions is a premium campervan conversion company specialising in bespoke builds, custom cabinetry, and advanced off-grid technical systems. We blend high-end design with practical engineering to create exceptional vehicles.

Having secured Made Smarter funding to advance our digitisation, we are launching a new range of functional campervan accessories, custom installation kits, and furniture kits for self-builders and campervan users. We are looking for a talented, hands-on design intern to join our internal team and accelerate the development of these products.

THE ROLE

This role focuses primarily on smaller component product design, taking ideas from concept to physical reality. You will be fully integrated into our workshop and design workflow, using 3D scanning and digital mapping to capture various vehicle surfaces, structures, and apertures.

Your primary day-to-day focus will be turning this scan data into clean CAD models to design smaller, custom-fit functional parts and retail accessories. There is also the scope and potential to scale this work up into modelling full furniture kits for vehicles we haven’t converted before.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Vehicle Geometry & 3D Scanning: Use 3D scanning tools to digitally map out vehicle profiles, roofs, window openings, and internal structures.
• Product Development: Design functional retail components (e.g., roof vent surrounds, useful products, and functional adapters) using Fusion 360.
• Advanced Modelling: Re-model existing components and potentially develop new furniture kits tailored to specific vehicle types.
• Design for Manufacture: Optimise components for production, preparing files for additive manufacturing and understanding nesting logic for our CNC router.
• Prototyping & Validation: Support the prototyping workflow, getting involved in assembling and test-fitting physical prototypes directly onto vehicles.
• Technical Documentation: Create clear, visual assembly drawings and beginner-friendly instruction manuals to accompany our products for retail customers.
• Data Management: Organise all design outputs into structured, version-controlled digital folders ready for production and market launch.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Education: Currently studying an undergraduate or post graduate degree in Product Design, Innovation, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• CAD Skills: Solid proficiency in Fusion 360 (or equivalent CAD software) with an understanding of parametric modeling.
• Manufacturing Mindset: A basic grasp of design-for-manufacture principles, particularly how various custom components and panels assemble into final products.
• Hands-on Attitude: Comfortable working in a live workshop environment, using tools to assemble prototypes, and operating workshop equipment.
• Communication: Clean technical drawing skills with the ability to break down complex assemblies into simple, visually clear instruction manuals.

LOGISTICS & ACCESSIBILITY

The position is based entirely on-site at our workshop in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Public transport to our specific location is limited (bus only), so a reliable independent commute or personal transport is highly recommended.

• Contract Length: This is a fixed-term contract of 444 total hours funded by the Made Smarter grant.
• Flexible Scheduling: The structure of these hours is open to discussion. It can be completed as a standard full-time block over the summer holidays (approx. 10–12 weeks), or split into a few days a week to fit around university course schedules, dissertations, or other commitments.
• Pay: this is a paid internship and is paid at national minimum wage

Please Note: We are experts in vehicle conversions, engineering, and manufacturing, but we are not CAD specialists. We are looking for an intern who can work independently, take ownership of the digital design workflow, and problem-solve software challenges solo. There will not be day-to-day technical CAD training or heavy support in the software itself.

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person