Product Development Engineer – Electronics, Prototyping & Ai

Energym; Metropolitan Borough of Solihull; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free on-site parking

Early finishes on Friday

Cycle studio & mini-gym on-site (lun​午

Job summary

Energym is seeking a hands-on prototyping engineer in the UK to design, build and test integrated mechanical, electronic and software prototypes. You will explore ergonomics, interfaces and user experience while developing enclosures and test rigs with 3D printing and CAD tools.

You’ll work with sensors, microcontrollers and BLE, assemble electronics, and contribute firmware. You’ll collaborate with suppliers, QA and the founder on priorities, delivering reliable results.

Qualifications

• You are passionate about building products.
• You take ownership and work well with direction.
• You've a solid practical understanding of electronics.
• Understands what makes a great product.
• Is positive, organised, reliable and professional.
• Is already proficient with AI and highly IT literate.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and test prototypes combining mechanical parts, electronics and software.
• Consider ergonomics, controls, interface and everyday use.
• Use 3D printing to develop enclosures and test rigs.
• Maintain and organise the prototyping lab and equipment.
• Work with sensors, microcontrollers, Bluetooth/BLE and power systems.
• Assemble and test electronics, debug circuits and PCBs, and write firmware.
• Prototype connected app experiences from pairing to setup.
• Research existing products, listen to users and spot unmet needs.
• Select components and liaise with suppliers with cost/quality focus.
• Support QA: test prototypes, document faults and verify fixes.
• Leverage AI as a practical research and development tool.
• Own milestones, coordinate actions and ensure timely delivery.

Skills

Prototyping

Electronics fundamentals

Mechanical design

AI literacy

User-centric design

Tools

3D printing

PCB testing

Firmware debugging

Bluetooth/BLE

CAD tools

Job description

Job Description

You’ll be:

• Designing, building and testing prototypes that combine mechanical parts, electronics and software.
• Thinking through how people actually use a product - its ergonomics, controls, interface and everyday experience.
• Using 3D printing and suitable design tools to develop enclosures, mechanisms and test rigs.
• Helping keep our prototyping lab organised and working efficiently: setting up and maintaining 3D printers, electronics benches and test rigs, organising components and prototypes, and automating tasks to help the team build and test faster.
• Working with sensors, microcontrollers, Bluetooth/BLE connectivity and power systems.
• Assembling and testing electronics, helping develop and debug circuits and PCBs, and writing and adapting code and firmware.
• Helping prototype connected app experiences, considering everything from pairing and setup to clear, intuitive controls.
• Researching existing products, listening to users and spotting unmet needs, frustrations and opportunities to make things better.
• Selecting components and liaising with factories, suppliers and engineers, with an eye on cost, quality and practicality.
• Supporting quality assurance: testing prototypes and samples, documenting faults and checking that fixes work.
• Using AI extensively as a practical tool to research, develop, troubleshoot and work faster and more efficiently.
• Taking ownership of agreed milestones, coordinating actions and suppliers, testing ideas quickly and delivering reliable results on time.

Qualifications

• You are passionate about building products. You enjoy tinkering, experimenting and turning ideas into working things. Personal projects, home engineering, university work and hobby builds all count.
• You take ownership and works well with direction. You take initiative and follow things through, while working closely with the founder on priorities and decisions. You listen, ask questions, respond positively to feedback and adapt quickly when the direction changes.
• You've a solid practical understanding of electronics. You understand how components, circuits and PCBs work together, can follow a schematic and take a logical approach to testing and finding faults. You don’t need to be an expert in every area, but you should have a sound foundation to build on.
• Understands what makes a great product. You’re curious about people, notice awkward details and think carefully about how something should look, feel and work. You can explain why people love certain products and bring that thinking into your own designs.
• Is positive, organised, reliable and professional. You take ownership, keep clear records, communicate well, flag problems early and respond constructively to feedback.
• Is already proficient with AI and highly IT literate. You confidently use digital tools to get useful work done, learn new software quickly and can show how AI has helped you build or solve something. You keep up with emerging AI tools and engineering technologies, try them out and put useful advances into practice - helping us build better products, faster.
• Is excited about where technology is going. You’re interested in fitness, connected products and emerging tools, and want to help turn new possibilities into useful products that make a positive difference.
• Works hard, works smart and moves with urgency. You bring focus, energy and a strong work ethic. You put in the effort to see things through, find efficient ways forward and want to make visible progress. You move quickly, but check your work, maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Has commercial awareness. You appreciate the relationship between customer value, features, cost and development time. We’ll support budgets and commercial decisions; you bring practical judgement about where effort and money are best spent.
• Thinks logically and solves problems resourcefully. You learn quickly, ask useful questions, investigate, try sensible alternatives and keep moving.

Alongside practical electronics skills, some coding experience is important; light firmware experience is welcome. Experience with Bluetooth/BLE or app prototyping would be useful. CAD experience is helpful, but not essential.

We love AI, but “ChatGPT said it would work” isn’t a test result. Bring solid engineering fundamentals, use the latest tools to move faster, and make sure what you build actually works. We want someone who understands their decisions, tests their ideas and keeps exploring better ways to develop products. Used well, AI can give you superpowers - helping you learn faster, explore more ideas and build things you previously couldn’t. That’s what we’re excited about. AI slop, less so...

You don’t need to have launched or sold a product before. You do need curiosity, initiative and evidence that you enjoy making things. Your attitude, practical ability and open-minded approach to solving problems matter most.

Additional Information

Why join us?

This is a varied, hands‑on opportunity in a small but growing tech business. You may also support related engineering, testing, quality, supplier coordination and practical operational tasks suited to your skills, with scope and priorities agreed clearly.

We’ll start with an agreed paid development project, with the scope, timescale and payment terms confirmed before work begins. If the collaboration works well and business needs support it, there may be an opportunity to join Energym in a permanent full‑time role.

In return, you’ll get hands‑on involvement in new products, a short route from idea to decision and the chance to see your work become something tangible, quickly.

• Innovate for Impact - Build product experiences that blend software + hardware + sustainability
• Grow With Us - Be a core part of a rapidly expanding startup with big ambitions.
• Hands-On Experience - Work with cutting‑edge hardware, software, and IoT solutions.
• Make a Difference - Your work contributes to a greener planet and smarter workouts.
• Free on‑site parking
• Early finishes on Friday
• Cycle studio & mini‑gym on‑site (lunchtime workouts nailed...).