Careers at Austin Consultants

ROLE

Due to our success, we are looking for a Support and Commissioning Engineer to join our growing team. As an individual, you will have a driven and results-focused attitude. We are looking for the right fit and are open to talking to different skill-level people, however, this role is aimed at those with a controls/automation/systems engineering background that can quickly get up to speed with our product offerings in the automotive test sector, especially our reconfigurable EVolution test platform. 

The successful candidate will join our team of engineers, performing on-site installation and commissioning of our EVolution systems, cell services and safety systems whilst interfacing with a variety of hardware devices. A core aspect of this role is the ability to efficiently troubleshoot, debug and resolve issues that are typical with commissioning complex systems. Our customers are based mostly in the UK (South East, Midlands, West Counties, and parts of the North) however we do also have customers in parts of Europe. 

Further to this the role includes supporting our customers’ use of the system, both remotely assisting and on-site as required.

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Some companies say ‘Our Team’ to refer to their employees. But at Austin Consultants our employees really are a team. We proactively foster a collaborative, supportive, vibrant culture. Our passionate developers, systems architects, electrical and mechanical engineers, and commercial team work together to combine expertise in leading hardware and software to develop innovative solutions. We relish a challenge, working with new clients to deliver the right solution for the application and work together to make sure what we do is enjoyable and everyone is heard. 

Austin Consultants are systems integrators that provide bespoke hardware engineering, software development, and data science services, for a wide range of automated data acquisition, test, measurement, control, and IIoT applications for industries including automotive, academia, energy, and aerospace. Although the primary focus of this role is our Automotive customers, there may be opportunities to help support other areas of the business as well, this may be located throughout the UK, and sometimes overseas. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to;

• On-site installation, configuration and commissioning of both hardware and software systems. Typically this will involve: 
  • installation of communication and signal cables between devices, and working with suppliers to understand the interfacing requirements of their equipment.
  • configuring  systems and installing application software
• Helping to define individual project commissioning and installation deliverables/tasks and corresponding material/resource requirements.
• Executing commissioning plans in line with the overall project plan, this will require working with both Internal teams and/or customer/other suppliers.
• Providing support to customers both remotely or on-site if required, which may include annual on-site inspections/maintenance.
  • Troubleshooting and resolving problems in both software and hardware.
  • Providing timely, accurate and effective solutions to technical problems remotely and on-site.
  • Communicating effectively with internal teams if issues need to be escalated as well as effective and professional communication with the customer to keep them informed.
• Help develop site installation plans and site surveys prior to the relevant stages of a project.
• Supporting internal teams between project commissioning and support.
• Good communication skills as this role will require engaging and communicating with Customer contacts. This may require working alongside customer and partner engineers to complete commissioning, undertaking support tasks,  providing updates to technical and non-technical Project Leads, Project Managers &  Senior Management, as well as communicating with internal project stakeholders.
• Generating technical documentation to support the delivery of systems: commissioning documentation, technical document packs, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

REQUIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Experience in on-site installation and commissioning of hardware and/or software systems.
• Experience with interfacing and/or integrating different pieces of equipment, preferably test equipment or automotive equipment.
• Ability to debug and solve problems on a range of systems in an efficient manner.
• Ability to follow and understand datasheets/electrical installation/field diagrams and schematics.
• Awareness of electrical power systems, typically within the low voltage directive (1000VAC/1500VDC).

DESIRABLE:

• Knowledge and understanding of automotive test equipment such as dynamometer drives and motors, battery simulators/cyclers, fluid conditioning systems, pumps, sensors and transducers (pressure, speed, torque, etc), power supplies, and power analysers.
• Knowledge and experience of NI software and hardware platforms.
• Knowledge and experience of mainstream PLCs (Siemens, Allen Bradley, etc) based control hardware.
• Knowledge of software programming.
• Experience and knowledge of working with High Voltage & High Current equipment and systems (within the low voltage directive, up to 1000VAC/1500VDC). 
• Product test experience.
• Experience with IT networks.
• Ability to review electrical schematics and mechanical drawings.
• Knowledge and understanding of the implementation of safety systems, experience with BS EN 61508 (specifically 62061), SISTEMA reporting, and programming safety logic controllers. 
• Degree in engineering, such as electrical/electronic engineering, control systems, mechatronics, mechanical, or equivalent.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Good general computer skills
• Ability to adapt and learn new skills/applications quickly.
• Ability to work well within a team, as well as work autonomously as required.
• Must be able to multitask, manage time and prioritise effectively.
• Ability to troubleshoot and problem-solve.
• A results-focused, action-oriented mentality is essential with the ability to deal effectively with customers to deliver successful project outcomes.

OTHER:

• Legal right to live and work in the UK. Valid passport for global travel.
• A full clean valid UK driving license and own vehicle happy to use for work travel at short notice (mileage allowance is paid in line with HMRC guidelines). A hire van will be provided if required for the delivery of equipment that can not be couriered to site. Must be confident to drive a van up to LWB Transit size in line with a Class B license.
• Flexibility to travel throughout the UK, up to 50% of the time. The majority of onsite time for commissioning is planned in advance. Support of technical issues will require flexibility to respond to SLA’s and potentially to be on a customer site at short notice. 
• Flexibility to, on occasion work over weekends, typically to support shutdown maintenance or travel to customers’ sites.

LOCATION:

Sheffield is our main office so ideally commutable to this location to aid with supporting internal teams between commissioning tasks. But due to the requirement to travel regularly to customer locations UK-wide with potential trips outside the UK (with Advanced warning), we are willing to consider a remote position based on experience and exact location.

APPLICATION:

To apply for this position please send a copy of your CV to recruitment@austinconsultants.com

Austin Consultants are systems integrators that provide bespoke hardware engineering, software development and data science services, for a wide range of automated data acquisition, test, measurement, control and IIoT applications. As a dynamic SME our customers are from a range of industries including automotive, academia, energy and aerospace, and are located throughout the UK, and sometimes overseas.

Due to our success, we are looking for experienced engineers to join our growing team. As an individual, you will have a driven and results-focused attitude. 

The entry point for joining as a System Engineer or Snr System Engineer will be dependent on your technical knowledge and proven capabilities in the relevant areas. We are looking for the right fit and are open to talking to different skill-level people. 

Some companies say ‘ Our Team’ to refer to their staff. But at Austin Consultants our staff really are a team. We proactively foster a collaborative, supportive, vibrant culture. Our passionate developers, systems architects, electrical and mechanical engineers, and data scientists, work together to combine expertise in leading hardware and software to develop innovative solutions. We relish a challenge, working with new clients to deliver the right solution for the application and work together to make sure what we do is enjoyable and everyone is heard. 

Role & Responsibilities

You will help customers across a wide range of applications and industries with a diversity of issues, from delivering small data acquisition systems or debugging existing client systems through to the development and the onsite commissioning of complex control and data acquisition systems. The duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to;

• Full lifecycle project delivery as part of a team (size of project dependent on experience) 
• Providing timely, accurate and effective solutions to technical problems.
• On-site installation and commissioning of both HW and SW systems 
• Programming memory and speed efficient data acquisition and control applications.
• Developing intuitive graphical user interfaces.
• Selecting the correct measurement hardware for a given application based on a customer’s specification.
• Collaborate with systems engineers, product hardware and software engineers, throughout each system’s development and production life-cycle.
• Troubleshooting problems in systems that include both software and hardware.
• Delivering technical presentations and demonstrations to customers, colleagues and partners.
• Architecture design and project management through the full project lifecycle and managing internal project teams. The complexity and size of projects will increase based on an individual’s skills and capabilities.
• Working with the business development team to develop technical solutions and provide project costings based upon discussions with the client, including requirements qualification and response to RFQ’s.
• Creating technical documentation in line with our quality assurance system, including specifications, test plans and user manuals. 
• PLC or NI instrumentation and control panel experience.

Qualifications & Requirements

You must exhibit strong problem-solving, communication and business acumen skills alongside a passion for technology. It is crucial that as part of this role, you maintain a close working relationship with the team involved in building the systems to ensure that issues are quickly resolved and lessons are learnt for future projects.

Technical Skills:

• A degree in engineering, such as electrical/electronic engineering,  mechatronics, mechanical, computer science or equivalent.
• Knowledge of instrumentation, control and industrial automation is required.
• Demonstrable experience in measurement & instrumentation design.
• Proven experience in requirements capture and writing technical proposals.
• Ability to debug and solve problems on a range of systems in an efficient manner. 
• Experience with mainstream PLC brands (Siemens, Allen Bradley, etc) is preferred but not essential.
• Desire and ability to learn new skills/programming languages/applications. 

Core Competencies:

• A results-focused, action-oriented mentality is essential with the ability to deal effectively with customers to deliver successful project outcomes.
• Must be able to multitask, manage time and prioritise effectively.
• Problem-solving skills to analyse the problem following a logical and methodical approach, whilst also thinking creatively to provide a solution.
• Excellent written, oral and presentation skills.
• Enjoy working as a team player as well as working autonomously.

Other:

• Legal right to live and work in the UK.  Valid passport for global travel.
• Must hold a full clean valid UK driving licence and own vehicle to use for work travel.
• Flexibility to travel throughout the UK, including at short notice, 50% of the time.

Desirable:

• Understanding and practical experience of object-oriented principles.
• Knowledge and experience of NI hardware platforms e.g DAQmx, cRIO, PXI  and embedded systems, including LabVIEW FPGA and LabVIEW Real-Time.
• NI platform certifications e.g. CLD, CLA, CTD, CTA, CLED.
• Experience in a text-based language, Python, JAVA, C and C++ is preferred but not essential.
• Ability to draw system level diagrams in a CAD package – preferably EPlan.  

Reporting:

Reporting  to the Head of Systems

Location:

Sheffield is our main office and workshop, so ideally commutable to this location but with the requirement to travel regularly to customer locations UK wide with potentially trips outside the UK (with an advanced warning).

Application:

To apply for this position please send a copy of your CV to recruitment@austinconsultants.com

Closing Date: 31 January 2022

Austin Consultants are systems integrators that provide bespoke hardware engineering, software development and data science services, for a wide range of automated data acquisition, test, measurement, control and IIoT applications. As a dynamic SME our customers are from a range of industries including automotive, academia, energy and aerospace, and are located throughout the UK, and sometimes overseas.

Due to our success, we are looking for experienced engineers to join our growing team. As an individual, you will have a driven and results-focused attitude. 

The entry point for joining as a Hardware Engineer or Snr Hardware  Engineer will be dependent on your technical knowledge and proven capabilities in the relevant areas. We are looking for the right fit and are open to talking to different skill-level people. 

Some companies say ‘ Our Team’ to refer to their staff. But at Austin Consultants our staff really are a team. We proactively foster a collaborative, supportive, vibrant culture. Our passionate developers, systems architects, electrical and mechanical engineers, and data scientists, work together to combine expertise in leading hardware and software to develop innovative solutions. We relish a challenge, working with new clients to deliver the right solution for the application and work together to make sure what we do is enjoyable and everyone is heard. 

Role & Responsibilities

We are looking for a hardware engineer from an electrical or controls engineering background. You will come from a hands-on, practical engineering background and have experience in electrical/electronic design. Competent in the fundamentals of electrical design, you will also understand root causes for electrical noise and design to prevent these. You should be capable of designing for IEC 60204 and BS EN 61010 and it would be beneficial to have an understanding of relevant Safety Directives (EN ISO 13849 / BS EN 61508).

The duties and responsibilities of these positions include, but are not limited to;

• Accurately and comprehensively capturing electrical designs within EPlan in a timely manner.
• Selecting the correct control and/or measurement hardware for a given application based on a customer’s specification.
• Providing timely, accurate and effective solutions to technical problems.
• Hands-on approach to building, testing, commissioning of electrical systems.
• Installation and Commissioning systems on-site.
• Providing guidance on the installation and working functionality of both software and hardware, including an explanation of configuration settings.
• Generating technical documentation to support delivery of systems, including testing plans, commissioning documentation, technical document packs etc.
• Supporting design reviews relating to hardware (electrical, electronic and mechanical) designs.
• Troubleshooting problems and incompatibilities in both software and hardware.
• Working with the business development team to develop proof of concepts and quotations for customers.
• Flexibility to travel throughout the UK, 50% of the time.

Qualifications & Requirements

Technical Skills:

• A degree in engineering, such as electrical/electronic engineering,  mechatronics, mechanical, computer science or equivalent.
• Strong experience backed by the ability to design electrical/electronic systems.
• Experience in on-site installation and commissioning.
• Experience with mainstream PLCs (Siemens, Allen Bradley, etc) based control hardware or NI instrumentation. 
• Practical electrical debug experience.
• Knowledge of CE / UKCA marking process
• Ability to learn new skills/languages/applications quickly.

Core Competencies:

• A results-focused, action-oriented mentality is essential with the ability to deal effectively with customers to deliver successful project outcomes.
• Must be able to multitask, manage time and prioritise effectively.
• Problem-solving skills to analyse the problem following a logical and methodical approach, whilst also thinking creatively to provide a solution.
• Excellent written, oral and presentation skills.
• Enjoy working as a team player as well as working autonomously.

Other:

• Legal right to live and work in the UK.  Valid passport for global travel.
• Must hold a full clean valid UK driving licence and own vehicle to use for work travel.
• Flexibility to travel throughout the UK, including at short notice, 50% of the time.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of the design and implementation of safety instrumented systems
• Basic mechanical design skills for enclosure and panel layouts, CAD
• Knowledge and experience of NI software and hardware platforms.
• 18th edition qualified.
• Ability to program or modify existing PLC or NI system software
• Experience with BS EN 61508, SISTEMA reporting, programming safety logic controllers, etc 

Reporting:

Reporting  to the Head of Systems

Location:

Sheffield is our main office and workshop, so ideally commutable to this location but with the requirement to travel regularly to customer locations UK wide with potentially trips outside the UK (with an advanced warning).

Application:

To apply for this position please send a copy of your CV to recruitment@austinconsultants.com

Closing Date: 31 January 2022