Senior Test Development Engineer

Senior Test & Development Engineer

There are plenty of engine development roles where you inherit mature test cells, established procedures and years of historical data. This role is different, here you have the opportunity to work on a new high-efficiency, multi-fuel engine platform designed for applications where electrification is difficult to scale, including marine, heavy-duty transport and power generation. The architecture is different, the hardware is still developing and there isn’t decades of legacy data to lean on. Good engineering judgement matters here.

We’re looking for a Senior Test & Development Engineer to take a leading role within a growing test operation. The existing performance cells have been running for around two years, while the next six to eight months will see new durability cells built and commissioned. You’ll inherit something that works, improve it and help build the next stage of the test capability from the ground up.

This is a hands-on development role. You’ll design and run structured engine and rig test programmes, commission test cells, define instrumentation and data acquisition requirements and work across controls, automation and fuel systems. You’ll analyse combustion, performance and thermal data, investigate failures and use the results to influence what the engineering team does next.

Safety is a significant part of the job. The engine platform has already run on diesel, hydrogen and LPG, so the test environment brings together high-value prototype hardware with flammable and gaseous fuels. Experience around DSEAR/ATEX, gas detection, ventilation, interlocks or similar test-cell safety systems would be valuable.

You’ll likely come from engine or powertrain test and development, whether that has been within an OEM, Tier 1, motorsport, consultancy or research environment. You’ll need a strong grounding in combustion, thermodynamics and heat transfer, alongside genuine test-cell experience. Exposure to tools such as AVL PUMA, ATLAS, IndiCOM, INCA or Concerto is relevant, as is MATLAB, Python or similar data analysis experience.

More important than ticking every software box is how you approach development. When something unexpected happens, there may not be a procedure that tells you what to do next. You need to be comfortable looking at the hardware and data, going back to first principles and making a sound engineering decision.

The technology has moved beyond early concept work, with stable demonstrators running since late 2024 and the business now working towards commercial deployment and low-volume production. This next phase brings more testing, more durability work and the opportunity to shape how the development capability operates as the engine moves towards production.

For an engineer who enjoys being close to the hardware and wants more ownership than simply running an established test programme, there is a lot here to get involved with.