Electronics Engineering Manager

Kodu; Worcester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Vax, a leading floor care innovator, is creating an Advanced Development group to drive next-generation products. You will lead electrical engineering, set architectures, and personally prototype and test concepts with suppliers to de-risk bets.

The role requires a degree in Electrical or Electronic Engineering (or Mechatronics), hands-on prototype work, and the ability to recruit and mentor a founding team. On-site four days a week in Droitwich, with occasional travel, is expected.

Qualifications

• A degree in Electrical or Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics or equivalent, with firmware knowledge.
• Deep expertise in sensors, motor control, and power electronics across whole product architectures.
• Hands-on prototype building and testing, plus supplier collaboration.
• Experience leading a technical team or readiness to step up as founding manager.

Responsibilities

• Lead advanced electrical engineering across the team and define future architectures.
• Build and test proof of concepts and demonstrators yourself, and run supplier collaborations.
• Work with mechanical, industrial design and supply base on system integration.
• Recruit and mentor the team as it grows; establish a founding electronics capability.
• Start four days a week on-site and travel occasionally as needed.

Skills

Embedded systems

Firmware

Sensors

Motor control

Power electronics

System architecture

Leadership

Prototyping

Education

Electrical or Electronic Engineering degree

Mechatronics

Job description

Build Vax's advanced electronics capability from nothing and decide what goes inside the next generation of its products. You'd set the electrical architecture and technology roadmap, build the first demonstrators with your own hands, and hire the team that carries it forward.

Vax is one of the best-known floor care brands in the UK, approaching its 50th year and part of TTI, the global group behind Milwaukee and Ryobi. All of Vax's floor care innovation and new product development is now being brought together in Droitwich, and a new Advanced Development team is being set up to work ahead of mainstream NPD, proving ideas quickly and deciding what Vax makes next.

The role

You'll lead advanced electrical engineering across that team, defining future architectures for smarter, more differentiated products. Sensors, motor control, power electronics and embedded control are the core of the work. You'll build and test proof of concepts and demonstrators yourself, run technical collaborations with suppliers, and work across mechanical engineering, industrial design and the supply base on system integration. Just as important, you'll turn each technology bet into a case the business will back, and kill the ones that don't work.

The capability doesn't exist yet, so you'll recruit and mentor the team as it grows. If you're a strong technical lead ready for your first founding management role, this is a real one.

What you'll need

• A degree in Electrical or Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics or equivalent, with a strong background in electronics and embedded systems and a working knowledge of firmware.
• Real depth in at least two of sensors, motor control and power electronics, and the systems thinking to own the whole electrical architecture of a product.
• Proven hands-on experience building and testing prototypes yourself, alongside running technical relationships with suppliers rather than handing over a specification.
• Experience leading a technical team, or a strong technical lead ready to step up, with the confidence to sell a technology direction to senior and non-technical people.

The details

• Reporting to the Director of Global Advanced Development
• Founding the Advanced Electronics team, hiring as it grows
• Occasional travel, including supplier visits, some overseas
• Commutable from Worcester, Birmingham, Cheltenham and the M5 corridor
• Start: To be agreed
• Benefits to be confirmed

What it isn't

This isn't a role with a team waiting for you. You start on your own and build it, and the processes around Advanced Development are being set up as you go, so you'll need to be comfortable starting from a loose brief. It isn't a review-only management job either. You'll be at the bench as much as in the roadmap meetings. And it's four days a week on-site in Droitwich, so be sure the commute works before anything else.