Expert Technologist - Motorsport & Future Fuels

bp; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy company in Reading is seeking a specialist in motorsport fuels to drive future strategies and innovations. This role offers the opportunity to shape fuel formulations aligned with emerging technologies and regulations while collaborating with internal teams and external partners. Candidates should hold a degree in a relevant field and possess expert knowledge in R&D around sustainable fuels. A great work-life balance and diverse benefits package are part of the offer.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Health and life insurance

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Expert-level knowledge and extensive experience in fuel formulation and development.
• Proven experience leading R&D projects focused on sustainable fuels.
• Strong analytical skills, including decision-making and root cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Guide motorsport fuel formulation strategy and sources.
• Develop fuel components for motorsport.
• Provide expert knowledge on combustion technology.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical and problem-solving

Communication

Technical knowledge in fuel technology

Education

Degree in Engineering, Chemistry, or Physics

Masters/PhD preferred

Tools

Computational modelling

Experimental design

Job description

Job Description

Our purpose is to deliver energy to the world, today and tomorrow. For over 100 years, bp has focused on discovering, developing, and producing oil and gas in the nations where we operate. We are one of the few companies globally that can provide governments and customers with an integrated energy offering. Delivering our strategy sustainably is fundamental to achieving our ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.

Pangbourne

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Castrol Technology Team, working at the forefront of advanced motorsport fuels while inputting a strategic view on global fuel technology for the wider Castrol business. Based within the Motorsport Technology Team, you will provide expert technical knowledge on next-generation, high-performance fuels and components for Castrol and its motorsport partners. You will also inform the business on regional fuel specifications and deliver strategic insights on how evolving fuel regulations, legislations, and technologies may influence and impact future powertrain and lubricant solutions, helping both our internal participants and external partners achieve their goals.

What does the day to day look like?

You will combine experienced guidance for motorsport fuel programmes with strategic responsibilities for informing the Castrol lubricants business. Your primary focus will be to shape the future strategy and define the optionality for motorsport fuels by advancing renewable raw-material availability and sourcing, seeing opportunities for implementation of new data tools, initiating R&D programmes, and providing overall technical knowledge. Acting as a trusted subject matter authority to the team\'s OEM Project Leaders, you will guide innovation and enable future capabilities across the motorsport fuel portfolio. The role requires close collaboration with the Senior Advisor for Automotive Technology and the wider Castrol Technology Team to ensure global fuel standards and their future evolution are fully considered when forming near and long-term strategies. You will collaborate extensively with a broad range of internal and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide future motorsport fuel formulation strategy and optionality grounded on current and emerging fuel technology and regulatory requirements.
• Source, investigate and develop fuel components for the motorsport development team, targeting long-term performance opportunities aligned to motorsport regulations. Building and maintaining relationships with suppliers of novel renewable fuel components.
• Display leadership behaviours, deputising for the Team Leader when required, managing tasks such as budgeting and forecasting, and driving the team to innovate through new R&D initiatives.
• Provide expert knowledge on novel combustion technology and motorsport fuel formulation to meet and exceed Castrol\'s partner's performance expectations.
• Find opportunities to apply advanced computational modelling techniques and lead projects to implement them.
• Oversee operational delivery to legacy motorsport partners, including blending, product approval, and timely dispatch, ensuring consistent quality and compliance with established standards.
• Coach and mentor technologists, providing technical leadership to colleagues across the Motorsport Technology Team.
• Ensure the continued technical support and operational delivery of specialised Castrol fuel solutions for key non-racing partners, including overseeing blending, product validation, and timely dispatch to maintain quality, compliance, and performance standards.
• Represent Castrol in technical and regulatory forums and conferences related to fuel technology.
• Assess and communicate the impact that evolving global fuel technology trends, regulatory changes, sustainability initiatives, and OEM developments will have on propulsion and lubricant technology and provide insights to lubricant product development projects and OEM partnerships.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in creation of supply agreements / contracts and aligning technical guidance with colleagues to focus on research and development, product stewardship, legal, and marketing.

What do we want to see from you?

Essential

• Degree or equivalent experience in Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or related technical field, with a Masters/PhD qualification or additional relevant industry certifications will be preferred.
• Expert-level knowledge and extensive experience in the formulation, development and testing of fuels and mobility products, spanning combustion, combustion engine technology, hybrids, and emerging powertrain technologies.
• Proven experience leading R&D projects focused on renewable or sustainable fuels, with strong knowledge of novel, sustainable fuel-production technologies.
• Deep understanding of vehicle propulsion and calibration technology, and the ability to translate this into impacts on motorsport and commercial technology.
• Consistent track record in leading cross-functional teams, managing projects, budgets, timelines, and technical risks.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including experimental design, decision-making, root cause analysis, and statistics.
• Demonstrated innovation and a passion for advancing technology.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels within Castrol and with its OEM partners.
• Proven ability to build advantaged relationships internally and externally, and to coach and mentor colleagues.

Desirable

• Experience in motorsport fuel or lubricant technology.
• Experience of working with external OEM partners

Why join our team?

At Castrol, we provide an excellent working environment and employee benefits such as an open and inclusive culture, a great work-life balance, tremendous learning and development opportunities to craft your career path, life and health insurance, medical care package, and many others.

We support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and challenging environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to crafting an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly.

There are many aspects of our employees\' lives that are meaningful, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits can include flexible working options, collaboration spaces in a modern office environment, and many others benefits.

Apply now!

Travel Requirement

Up to 10% travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills

Aqueous Geochemistry, Biogeochemistry, Catalysis (Inactive), Computational fluid dynamics, Computer tomography scanning, Core Analysis, Data Analysis, Decision Making, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Experimental Design, Finite Element Structural Analysis, Geothermal modelling, Intellectual Asset Management, Microbiology in the energy industry, Microscopy, Multi-physics modelling, Petrography, Presenting, Relative permeability analogue provision, Subsurface Geology, Thermodynamic simulation, Waterfall Model, Wellbore geomechanics, Writing skills

Legal Disclaimer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp\'s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.