Automotive Test Engineer

Automotive Test Engineer – Passive Safety | Circa £43,150 negotiable + excellent benefits | Permanent | On-site

Would you like to work for a company that makes a real difference in the automotive industry? As industry leaders in the field of automotive research and testing, our Passive Safety (crash) team play a high profile and crucial role in driving safety improvements across theglobalautomotive industry. They deliver high quality crash testing for vehicle manufactures and the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), helping to improve vehicle safety and reduce accidents.

This role is integral in facilitating both Commercial and Research testing operations and enhancing our testing proficiency and will evolve with the dynamic automotive landscape to understand its impact on vehicle safety and to explore how pioneering testing methods can enhance this insight.

If you have a passion for the automotive industry and are excited by the prospect of working with cutting edge, new vehicle technology then this could be the role for you

Your mission

• Deliver day to day testing activities and lead test projects in collaboration with the engineers and technicians.
• Identify testing deliverables from project requirements, working with the wider team to ensure delivery.
• Create project schedules, allocating test equipment to ensure effective delivery of barrier & sled testing.
• Gather and review technical output ensuring customer requirements are met.
• Manage the schedule for test dummy calibration & certification to ensure delivery of testing.
• Develop new innovative protocols, to ensure we maintain the capability to research new automotive technology as the external environment changes.
• Build and maintain relationships with commercial customers
• Support the learning and development of Engineers, Technicians and Apprentices through coaching, training and hands-on experience.

Skills & experience that will set you up for success in this role:

• A relevant qualification , such as Mechanical/Automotive Engineering (desirable) with significant hands-on experience in test execution , or demonstrable work experience as an electronics engineer
• Good understanding of mechanical and electrical system design process
• Experience developing test and validation solutions, including the development of new protocols
• Some knowledge of automotive testing , with the desire to develop into a subject matter expert in passive safety. (Full training & development in role)
• The ability to work under your own initiative and manage individual workload.
• Some knowledge of data capture and analysis
• Experience in stakeholder management, both internal and external

Did you know...

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit

About you

As a proactive and supportive team player, you enjoy working collaboratively to achieve objectives but are equally successful working independently. Your helpful and positive attitude exhibit a trusted, professional image for the business, and you enjoy building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

Your ability to think clearly in pressured environments allows you to consistently deliver work to a high standard, without compromising on attention to detail. Your inquisitive mindset and excellent problem-solving ability enable you to make informed engineering decisions.

Perks & Benefits

Salary - Circa £43,150 negotiable,dependent on skills & experience.

• 10% non-contributory pension
• 29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
• Group Life Assurance (equal to 3 x basic salary)
• Group Income Protection (after 2 years’ service)
• Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work & tech scheme)
• Money Health Financial Wellbeing Platform
• Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
• Discounted gym membership
• Sports & Social club
• Payroll charitable giving

When we work

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, 8:30 - 15:45 Fridays (talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you)

How we work

This role is based on-site in Thatcham, working in our Crash Laboratory .

What we do

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security, and repair.

With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre, Training Academy and Crime Lab, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry. Ouractivesafetytracksite is one of the leading accredited Euro NCAPtesting facilities,triallingandassessingtheverylatest developments in vehicle safety and assistance technologies.

Our Values

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our silver membership in the Automotive 30% Club, we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process?

• Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
• An initial telephone screening call with our Recruitment Business Partner
• First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
• Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on)
• Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that
• An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

We’re committed to removing invisible barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.