Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world.

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

The Role

We are looking to recruit a Prototype Build Technician to work at our Shoreham Technical Centre. Working as part of the Prototype Build Team within the Test department, a Prototype Build Technician will be expected to carry out a wide range of tasks relating to the build, modification and instrumentation of mechanical assemblies. The job has a specific focus on new designs, or new modifications to existing products.

Key Responsibilities

The role requires someone who:

• Can work quickly and accurately from written instructions, engineering drawings or schematics, with excellent attention to detail and minimal supervision.
• Takes a detailed and methodical approach, with the flexibility to adapt to changing situations and requirements.
• Can think independently and critically assess the tasks they are requested to perform, offering alternative approaches if these would be more suitable, and taking an active role in problem solving when challenges are encountered.
• Has broad and deep experience of building a wide range of engines, transmissions, batteries, motors or other mechanical assemblies.

Regular requirements of the role:

• Accurate and careful build of prototype assemblies following build instructions, with excellent attention to detail.
• Measurement of build parameters, e.g. tightening torques, calculation of clearances, measurement of volumes.
• Modification of components to accept instrumentation, e.g. thermocouples, pressure tappings.
• Application of specialist instrumentation techniques, such as modification of parts to accept crank encoders, speed pickups, adhesive bonded sensors, surface thermocouples.
• Careful disassembly of components to assess condition, including measurements of fastener tightness.
• Use of hand tools (manual and powered) or machine tools (lathe, mill, pillar drill, surface grinder, welder etc) to make or modify components prior to assembly.
• Work on engines in test cells, or vehicles (on or off ramps). Potential working at height or in cramped environments
• Safe movement and handling of large, heavy or awkward objects – slinging and lifting, manual handling.
• Use of computers to read instructions and record information, communicate with colleagues. PC Skills including Word and Excel are essential.

This is a contract opportunity to support the team during a time of high workload and is initially for a three-month period.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion statement
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.

Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.