Systems Engineer

PerkinElmer; High Wycombe; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

PerkinElmer is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer — Material Characterization in High Wycombe, UK. You will shape system design and architecture for advanced analytical platforms, translating customer needs into verifiable requirements and guiding verification and testing.

You’ll lead investigations, improve product quality, and mentor engineers within cross‑functional teams. Ideal candidates bring a physics or engineering degree with experience in precision instrumentation, plus data analysis

Qualifications

• Essential: Degree in Physics or engineering; experience in high-precision electro-mechanical or scientific instrumentation.
• Preferred: postgraduate engineering/physical science qualification; familiarity with optics, control systems or signal processing.

Responsibilities

• System design and architecture for new products and major platform changes; perform modelling across subsystems.
• Develop high‑level requirements from customer needs and decompose into verifiable specs.
• Define verification strategy; conduct experiments and analyze data to support decisions.
• Lead root cause investigations and drive remedial actions with manufacturing/service.
• Collaborate in multi-disciplinary teams; mentor junior engineers on testing and interpretation.

Skills

Data analysis

Report writing

Project planning

Risk assessment

Mentoring

Education

Degree in Physics or Engineering

Postgraduate qualification in engineering or physical science

Tools

FMEA training

Modeling software

Job description

Job Title

Senior Systems Engineer — Material Characterization

Location

High Wycombe, UK

Overview

When joining PerkinElmer, you select an experienced and trusted leader in scientific solutions, with the support of a global service network and distribution centers, providing the right solution, at the right time, to meet critical customer needs. With over an 80+ year legacy of advancing science and a mission of innovating for a healthier world, our dedicated team collaborates closely with commercial, government, academic and healthcare customers to deliver our broad portfolio of analytical solutions, and OneSource services.

Key Responsibilities

1. System design and architecture
   Lead concept development and system-level design for new products and major platform changes. Contribute design calculations and modelling across optical, mechanical, electronic, thermal or algorithmic aspects of the system, depending on project needs. Understand product performance parameters at system and sub-system level, and how design choices affect performance, reliability and cost. Reduce technical risk early through analysis, prototyping and structured experimentation.
2. Requirements and specification
   Develop and document high-level functional and performance requirements from customer and business needs. Decompose system requirements into detailed, testable sub-system specifications. Maintain requirements traceability from customer need through to verification evidence. Specify the software, fixtures and test equipment required for verification activities.
3. Design verification
   Define the verification strategy and author test plans for prototype evaluation and design-verification builds. Design and conduct experiments to test product performance and the performance of manufacturing fixtures; work with external test houses where required. Use knowledge of potential failure modes to design experiments that verify design assumptions as well as system performance. Analyse experimental data and produce clear summary reports that support design decisions and gate reviews.
4. Product quality and root cause analysis
   Generally and proactively promote product quality. Lead root cause investigation of selected manufacturing and field failures and drive remedial actions to conclusion. Liaise with Manufacturing and Service to understand quality issues; identify and specify manufacturing test and QA fixtures and processes.
5. Collaboration and mentoring
   Work within multifunctional project teams, directing troubleshooting internally and with consultants and suppliers. Actively participate in design reviews across engineering disciplines. Guide and mentor junior engineers in test planning, execution and interpretation of results.

Qualifications and Experience

• Essential Degree in Physics or an engineering discipline. Substantial experience in the design, verification and troubleshooting of high-precision electro-mechanical or scientific instrumentation. Experience working within a structured product-development programme, with a quality-by-design approach. Proven ability to assess technical risk, recognise failure modes, and design and conduct experiments to verify performance. Strong data analysis and report-writing skills; proficient with software for data collection and analysis. Proven ability to plan a programme of work and drive it to completion.
• Preferred Postgraduate qualification in an engineering or physical science discipline. Experience with thermal analysis instrumentation (DSC, TGA), FT-IR or UV-Visible spectroscopy, including infrared detectors and associated pre-amplifier design. Knowledge of optics, control system modelling or signal processing. Formal training in FMEA and familiarity with structured product design methodologies. Experience mentoring or technically leading small teams.

PerkinElmer is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.