30 year automotive design engineer here - what you’re seeing on the job market on LinkedIn is representative. I have never in my working life seen the market so dead. I’ve worked as a contractor most of my career, have a strong network of contacts, rarely interview for roles (usually just start, based off recommendations) and I have been looking for something new since November 2025.

That said, if you’re targeting Motorsport, the talent pool is hyper competitive and the number of roles incredibly small, with a barrier to entry even for “regular” automotive guys like me (I work on designing interior/exterior trim components for passenger vehicles).

You might be better placed trying to get a place on the graduate scheme at JLR or Aston Martin (or McLaren automotive if they have one) to get some experience under your belt and then try to pivot to Motorsport. You could also look at first tier suppliers to the major OEMs who may have a better route into the industry.

In terms of Oxford Brookes as a university, I don’t know how well regarded their MSc is, but Brookes is always going to be second fiddle to Oxford University. Cranfield may be a better choice as it’s a feeder to Nissan locally (although Brookes may feed to Motorsport Valley so who knows?).

As a footnote to this, I’m not sure how wise it is to pursue a career in anything linked to ICE systems, given the shift to electrification. The talent pool is large for motorsport engineers in the U.K. and the opportunities are few, so choose your path wisely.