Development Test technician

Test & Development Technician

Norwich | Permanent | Up to £38,000

Want to work on engineering that is still being developed, rather than simply maintaining what already exists?

This is a hands-on opportunity to join a small engineering team developing specialist technology designed to operate in demanding environments.

You’ll be involved at the point where designs become real equipment. Building prototypes, wiring and assembling systems, getting them into test, finding out why something isn’t working and working alongside the engineers to put it right.

There won’t always be a perfectly written build manual waiting for you. In some cases, you’ll be helping create it.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll get involved across the build and test process, including:

• Building and assembling prototype mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment

• Wiring, soldering, cable assembly and electronic rework

• Bringing new systems into test and checking them against the design requirements

• Fault-finding when prototypes don’t behave as expected

• Using equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes and power supplies to diagnose problems

• Modifying, repairing and improving equipment during development

• Carrying out functional, performance and environmental testing

• Working closely with electronics, software and mechanical engineers to solve problems

• Feeding back practical improvements around reliability, assembly and serviceability

• Helping turn successful prototypes into repeatable production builds

• Producing practical build, test and repair instructions as the equipment develops

There may also be occasional UK travel to specialist external test facilities.

What they’re looking for

Your industry background isn’t the deciding factor.

You could come from electronics, manufacturing, automotive, defence, subsea, instrumentation, production test, maintenance or another practical engineering environment.

What matters is that you’re comfortable getting hands-on with equipment and working problems through.

Ideally, you’ll bring experience across some of the following:

• Electrical or electronic assembly and testing

• Fault-finding and diagnostics

• Soldering, wiring, connectors or cable assemblies

• Reading electrical drawings, schematics or wiring diagrams

• Mechanical assembly and fitting

• Using electronic test equipment

• Prototype, development or first-build work

• Repairing or modifying equipment when something fails

You don’t need to tick every box.

If you’ve built, tested and fault-found real equipment and enjoy figuring out why something isn’t working, that’s the important part.

Why this one is worth a look

This isn’t a repetitive production role where you’ll spend every day building the same finished product.

You’ll be joining a team working on new and next-generation technology, with further development projects planned beyond the immediate work.

It could suit someone who has built a solid practical engineering foundation and now wants more exposure to prototype development, testing and problem-solving, without moving away from the tools and into a purely desk-based engineering position.

There’s also scope longer term to develop towards areas such as electronic design or take greater responsibility for testing, depending on your interests and future opportunities within the team.

Salary: Up to £38,000 Location: Norwich Hours: 37.5 hours per week Working pattern: Fully site-based Holiday: 25 days Contract: Permanent