Performance Engineer

Jota Holdings; Royal Tunbridge Wells; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

JOTA is seeking an experienced Performance Engineer to join our Hypercar WEC programme in the UK. You will combine performance engineering, vehicle setup, simulation, data analysis and driver development to maximise race performance across testing and events.

You will work closely with Race Engineers, Controls Engineers and drivers, collaborating with our technical partners at Dallara and General Motors to translate complex data into actionable improvements on and off the track.

Qualifications

• Experience in performance engineering within professional motorsport.
• Strong understanding of vehicle dynamics, car setup and performance optimisation.
• Experience analysing telemetry, feedback, timing data and simulation results.
• Ability to translate analytical findings into practical setup changes and performance improvements.
• Experience planning and coordinating testing, development activities and engineering priorities.
• Strong communication skills, with the confidence to work directly with drivers, Race Engineers, Controls Engineers and mechanics.
• Proactive and organised approach, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a demanding, time-critical environment.
• Experience with motorsport software and data analysis tools such as Spotfire, WinDarab, Wintax, MoveDot and Monolith.

Responsibilities

• Define vehicle setup requirements for offline simulation, DiL, track testing and race events.
• Run setup simulation sweeps, analyse results and maintain performance information in the Sim KPI database.
• Analyse telemetry, driver feedback and timing data to identify performance opportunities.
• Agree setup direction with Race Engineers and Controls Engineers.
• Coordinate setup-related running plans and ensure delivery of changes.
• Maintain setup documentation and contribute to pre/post-event reports.
• Support definition, ordering and management of setup-related components and inventory.
• Analyse telemetry, video and timing data to assess driver performance and identify opportunities.
• Provide ongoing driver support during sessions with clear guidance on inputs and targets.
• Support driver training across circuit conditions and race scenarios.
• Work with Race Engineers to evaluate live strategy decisions.
• Calculate and simulate vehicle configuration to achieve target setups.
• Communicate build requirements to mechanics using HHDM.
• Support practical implementation of setup changes.
• Develop and improve simulation, data analysis and performance engineering procedures.
• Contribute to development of bespoke simulation tools and reporting systems.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows and data processing.
• Work across wider technical group to share findings and support development.
• Lead or support dyno preparation and execution.

Skills

Vehicle dynamics

Data analysis

Telemetry interpretation

Driver communication

Testing coordination

Simulation tools

Programming: Python

MATLAB

Tools

LMDhDOS

ARD

Canopy

HHDM

HH Timing

Spotfire

WinDarab

MoveDot

Monolith

Job description

About The Company
At JOTA, we don’t just work in motorsport and engineering, we live it. Driven by a passion for excellence and competing at the pinnacle of endurance racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, JOTA has become one of the most successful teams of the modern era, earning accolades on the world’s most demanding circuits. But our relentless pursuit of innovation and pushing boundaries extends far beyond the racetrack.
Role Overview
We are looking for an experienced Performance Engineer to join our Hypercar WEC programme. This is a key role within the Engineering team, combining performance engineering, vehicle setup, simulation, data analysis and driver development to maximise car performance across testing and race events.
You will be working closely with Race Engineers, Controls Engineers, mechanics and drivers, as well as collaborating with our technical partners at Dallara and General Motors.
The role requires a strong technical understanding of vehicle performance, excellent analytical skills and the ability to translate complex data into practical, actionable improvements both on and off the track.
The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for:

About the role

Performance Engineering & Vehicle Setup

• Define vehicle setup requirements and test items for offline simulation, Driver-in-the-Loop ( DiL ), track testing and race events.
• Run set up simulation sweeps, analyse results and maintain performance information within the Sim KPI database.
• Analyse vehicle data, driver feedback and timing information to identify performance opportunities.
• A gree setup direction with Race Engineers and Controls Engineers.
• Coordinate setup-related running plans, ensuring test items and planned setup changes are delivered efficiently.
• Maintain accurate set up documentation and contribute to pre-event and post-event performance reports.
• Support the definition, ordering and management of setup-related components and inventory.

Driver Performance & Race Support

• Analyse telemetry, video and timing data to assess driver performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Provide ongoing driver support and feedback during sessions, including clear guidance on driving inputs, performance targets and the requirements needed to support race strategy.
• Support driver training and development across a range of circuit conditions and race scenarios.
• Work closely with Race Engineers to evaluate and support live strategy decisions during practice and race sessions.

Vehicle Build & Mechanics Support

• Calculate and simulate the vehicle configuration required to achieve target setups.
• Communicate vehicle build requirements to mechanics using HHDM, covering workshop preparation, event activities and in-session changes.
• Support the practical implementation of setup changes, ensuring alignment between simulation, engineering requirements and the physical car.

Simulation, Analysis & Development

• Develop and improve simulation, data analysis and performance engineering procedures.
• Contribute to the development of bespoke simulation tools, spreadsheets and other engineering solutions.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering workflows, data processing and performance reporting.
• Work collaboratively across the wider technical group to share findings and support continuous vehicle development.

Dyno Planning & Execution

• Lead or support the preparation of dyno activities, including setup definition, vehicle build requirements, test plans, sensor configuration and tooling.
• Coordinate activities and technical discussions with the dyno facility.
• Support dyno test execution, data analysis and the identification of conclusions and subsequent engineering actions.

Your profile

Knowledge & Skills required:

• Experience in performance engineering within professional motorsport, ideally endurance racing or a comparable high-performance vehicle programme.
• A strong understanding of vehicle dynamics, car setup and performance optimisation.
• Experience analysing telemetry, feedback, timing data and simulation results.
• The ability to translate analytical findings into practical setup changes and performance improvements.
• Experience planning and coordinating testing, development activities and engineering priorities.
• Strong communication skills, with the confidence to work directly with drivers, Race Engineers, Controls Engineers and mechanics.
• A proactive and organised approach, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a demanding, time-critical environment.
• An interest in developing simulation tools, analysis methods and engineering processes.
• Experience with relevant motorsport engineering software and data analysis tools would be highly advantageous, including:
  • Data analysis: Spotfire, WinDarab , Wintax , MoveDot and Monolith.
  • Simulation and engineering systems: LMDhDOS , ARD, Canopy, HHDM and HH Timing.
  • Programming and analysis: Python and MATLAB.
  • General tools: Microsoft Office and collaborative working platforms such as Slack.

About us

At JOTA, we don’t just work in motorsport and engineering — we live it. Driven by a passion for excellence and competing at the pinnacle of endurance racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, JOTA has become one of the most successful teams of the modern era, earning accolades on the world’s most demanding circuits. But our relentless pursuit of innovation and pushing boundaries extends far beyond the racetrack.
Our cutting-edge businesses, JOTA Advanced Engineering and JOTA Composites, tackle every challenge with precision and ingenuity. By embracing a collaborative approach with our customers and technical partners, we ensure that required standards are not only met but consistently achieved. From designing and manufacturing complex solutions to advancing technologies across the automotive, defence, marine, and motorsport industries, we are dedicated to delivering excellence in everything we do.