About the role

The Company
Our client is part of a global organisation developing the next generation of autonomous technology for agriculture.

Based in the Bay of Plenty, the local engineering operation brings together capability across mechatronics, electronics, software, autonomy, mechanical engineering and advanced manufacturing. The team develops sophisticated autonomous agricultural equipment designed to operate in demanding real world environments.

The business has evolved considerably. While innovation and R&D remain important, the focus is increasingly on commercialisation, reliability, repeatability and building products that can be manufactured and deployed globally at scale.
It is an environment where engineers still genuinely engineer. The team will source proven technology where it makes sense, but where the right solution does not exist externally, they design and build it themselves.

The Role & Requirements
Working within the Mechatronic Engineering Team, the Senior Electronics Engineer will take a leading technical role across the continued development, improvement and commercialisation of autonomous agricultural products. This is a hands on senior engineering position, combining advanced electronics design with a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, Design for Manufacture, Design for Test and the requirements of producing electronics reliably at volume.

You will work across the electronics lifecycle, from architecture and detailed design through prototyping, PCB development, testing and validation, into production readiness and ongoing product improvement.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing innovative, reliable and commercially viable electronic designs from concept through to production.
• PCB design and development, ensuring designs integrate effectively within larger mechatronic systems.
• Applying DFM and DFT principles to transition electronic designs successfully from prototype into repeatable manufacture.
• Designing electronic architectures covering power distribution, communications, motor and actuator control, sensing and digital and analogue interfaces.
• Developing production test strategies, test fixtures and test jigs to support manufacturing and product quality.
• Producing technical documentation, specifications and manufacturing information required to successfully build and maintain electronic systems.
• Working directly with Production to resolve manufacturing, assembly and product issues, including getting hands on when required.
• Supporting first prototype builds and using learnings from testing, field performance and manufacturing to drive subsequent design iterations.
• Leading the investigation and resolution of complex electronics and product issues.
• Contributing to EMC and RF testing, regulatory compliance and international product certification.
• Working collaboratively across Electronics, Mechanical, Software, Firmware, Product, Manufacturing and wider Engineering teams.

This is not a role where the electronics function operates in isolation. Electronics sit within a broader mechatronic system, requiring close collaboration across power, sensing, control, communications, software, mechanical systems and manufacturing.

What We Are Looking For
We are looking for a highly experienced Electronics Engineer who can lead from the front technically and bring strong knowledge of manufacturing processes for volume into the electronics engineering environment.

You will understand the difference between developing something that works as a prototype and engineering a product that can be manufactured reliably, repeatedly and commercially.

Ideally, you will bring:

• A degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• 7+ years of professional Electronics Engineering experience.
• Strong practical experience with Design for Manufacture and Design for Test.
• Demonstrated experience taking electronic products from R&D and prototype development through to commercial manufacture.
• Strong PCB design experience and competence using Altium Designer.
• Experience designing test fixtures and developing production testing approaches.
• Strong working knowledge of EMC and RF design best practice.
• Experience designing electronics for larger electromechanical or mechatronic systems.
• Knowledge of power distribution, motor and actuator control, analogue and digital interfaces, sensors and communications protocols.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across electronics, manufacturing and assembly issues.
• Enough breadth across firmware and software to collaborate effectively with specialist engineers, ideally including familiarity with C/C++ and Python.
• Exposure to international compliance standards including CE, FCC and UL.

Experience with power electronics, three phase motor drives, high voltage systems above 300V, SPICE simulation, Git or SVN and EMC/RF testing equipment would be advantageous.

At this level, technical leadership is equally important. You will be comfortable reviewing and challenging designs, mentoring other engineers, establishing good electronics engineering practices and helping teams make sound decisions around performance, reliability, manufacturability, materials and cost.

What’s On Offer
This is an opportunity to work on genuinely sophisticated autonomous equipment where electronics form a critical part of a much larger mechatronic system. You will influence products across their complete engineering lifecycle, from R&D and early design decisions through prototype development, manufacturing, testing, commercial deployment and ongoing product iteration.

Importantly, this is an internal product engineering environment. You are not designing something, handing it over and moving onto the next project. You will see how the product performs in manufacture and in the field, understand where improvements can be made and feed those learnings back into future iterations.

You will join a multidisciplinary engineering environment where products are physically designed, built, tested and improved by the people around you, while having the backing and long term opportunity associated with a major global organisation.

For a Senior Electronics Engineer who still enjoys innovation and R&D but also understands the engineering discipline required to turn innovation into a commercially manufactured product, this represents an exciting next step.

Next Steps
If your background combines Electronics Engineering, PCB design, DFM/DFT, mechatronics and commercial manufacturing, we would like to hear from you.

Apply online with your CV outlining the electronic products you have developed and, importantly, your involvement in taking those designs from prototype or R&D environments through to manufacture and commercial production.

Feel free to call Barry Hardy on 027 654 4653 if you have questions...