Vacancies

We are looking to recruit an exceptional electronics engineer with extensive product development experience to join our successful and growing product design and development technical team. First-hand experience of working within a consultancy environment would be a clear advantage.

You will be challenged with a broad range of often complex technical challenges, so your analogue and digital hardware design skills will need to be excellent.

You will be required to take on project management responsibilities as well as technical leadership roles, liaising directly with our clients. However, should support or guidance be required, this is always available from other team members.

Our staff is our most important asset. To maintain and improve our high professional standards we provide regular professional and technical training opportunities.

Competitive salaries, together with other benefits such as overtime and a discretionary profit related bonus pay scheme, are offered and reviewed regularly.

The role
You will be required to:

1. Develop specifications and test documents for electronic and electro-mechanical products.
2. Develop architectural designs for electronic and electro-mechanical products, including hardware/software partitioning.
3. Undertake design feasibility studies and investigations, identifying and evaluating new technologies.
4. Develop analogue and digital electronic circuit designs.
5. Manage and oversee the generation of PCB designs.
6. Participate in peer reviewing of designs.
7. Manage prototype manufacture, testing (including EMC testing) and iterative design refinements.
8. Plan multidisciplinary projects at a detailed task level, grouping and linking task interrelationships logically, estimating their durations and work content to develop an overall budget estimate for the project.
9. Mange multidisciplinary projects against the plan and quotation, monitoring and controlling performance against deadlines and budgets.
10. Participate in the sales process, meeting new clients and then preparing quotations for presentation to the client.
11. Potentially work on multiple projects at the same time.
12. Deal directly with clients on both a technical and a commercial level.
13. Undertake manufacturing support and liaison activities.
14. The role will also include the development of electronics and software sub-systems for medical devices - training on the regulatory requirements and processes will be provided where necessary, but first-hand experience of this market sector would be of benefit.

Qualification
A 1st or upper 2nd class broad-based electronic engineering honours degree from a well-established university with a strong electronics reputation (or equivalent qualification) is essential.

Other requirements
You should also ideally have:

1. A broad range of experience, ideally from a consultancy background.
2. Strong proven ability in electronics which can be demonstrated.
3. Good communication skills, both verbal and written. You will need to communicate confidently and persuasively, both in formal presentations and in less formal client and supplier liaison situations. Written reports, quotations and other documents will need to be produced accurately and in a well-written and well-presented form.
4. An ability to assimilate new knowledge and information, and to learn and use new skills.
5. The ability to accurately plan the work content of projects, estimating development costs and time scales as well as final product costs.
6. The ability to operate well under time deadlines and within fixed development budgets to balance time, cost and quality.
7. A willingness to learn and try new things that you may have previously considered out of your field.
8. We work under extreme time pressure, and usually across a number of projects at the same time. To do this efficiently and effectively you will need to be well organised in managing your time.

The role
The embedded software engineer will be required to:

1. Develop specifications and test documents for the software content of electronic and electro-mechanical products.
2. Develop architectural designs for the software content of electronic and electro-mechanical products.
3. Implement and test software for small projects.
4. Be proficient in C and assembly language for a range of 8, 16 and 32 bit microcontrollers.
5. Be able to read and sufficiently understand schematic diagrams of electronic circuits in order to be able to develop embedded software.
6. Review and test software written by third parties, including offshore agencies.
7. Undertake or participate in design feasibility studies, investigations, brainstorming, and concept generation activities.
8. Identify and evaluate new technologies.
9. Undertake manufacturing support and liaison activities.
10. Potentially work on multiple projects at the same time.
11. Work in isolation or as part of a team, potentially managing a small team.
12. Assist in the management of DCA’s source integrity, continuous integration and design data management systems, plus other software design and development tools.
13. Contribute to the development of systems and processes applicable to DCA’s offer of the development of high-integrity software-intensive products.
14. Undertake other activities as required in support of the development of software-intensive products at DCA.

We are now looking to recruit exceptional senior mechanical engineers with extensive product development experience to join our successful and growing design and development technical team.

If you are a highly motivated individual with a desire to be challenged, express yourself, and make a difference, DCA will excite you.

You will be encouraged to take on project management responsibilities as well as technical leadership roles, liaising directly with our clients. However, should support or guidance be required, this is always available from other team members.

Our staff are our most important asset. To maintain and improve our high professional standards we provide regular professional and technical development training for all our staff.

Competitive salaries, together with other benefits such as discretionary bonus and profit related pay schemes, are offered and regularly reviewed.

Listed below are the key attributes we will be looking for from potential candidates:

Mechanical Engineering degree: A broad-based mechanical engineering degree from a well-established university with a strong engineering reputation. A 1st or Upper 2nd degree is essential (or equivalent qualification).

Good, wide-ranging technical background: Your university course should have covered a range of engineering disciplines – structures, mechanics, dynamics, fluids, thermodynamics, etc. Your subsequent industrial experience should involve the practical application of as many of these theoretical skills as possible, together with the addition of further skills and knowledge through formal training courses and on the job experience.

Experience: Candidates should have worked in a product design environment playing a key technical engineering role in the development team. They should have been involved in taking at least one product through the complete design process. Experience is required of a range of product types, manufacturing processes and materials that builds on the diversity of your technical training.

Able to learn new skills: Candidates should be able to demonstrate an ability to assimilate new knowledge and information, and should be able to learn and use new skills.

Good, confident communicator: Candidates must have good communication skills, both verbal and written. You will need to communicate confidently and persuasively, both in a formal presentation situation, but also in less formal client and supplier liaison situations. Written reports and other documents will also need to be produced accurately and in a well-presented form.

Creative problem-solving: Candidates should be able to provide examples of novel solutions they have generated that are cheaper, more efficient, smaller, more functional, etc. than the competition. They should be prepared to discuss their approach to creative thinking.

Logical and well organised: We work under extreme time pressure, and usually across a number of projects at the same time. To do this efficiently and effectively you need to be well organised in managing your time.

Commercially aware: Senior engineers at DCA at expected to deal with the financial and commercial aspects of projects as well as the technical and creative issues.

Project management skills: Successful candidates will be expected to manage significant development projects in parallel with their technical work. This will involve selecting and organising the team, managing budgets and timescales, liaising with and presenting to the client.

Appreciation of non-functional design aspects: We operate in multi-functional project teams and our mechanical engineers need to co-operate with designers and electronics engineers to blend the visual and functional aspects of a product.

Team leader and member: Most projects are run using dedicated teams. You must be able to shape, enthuse and lead a project team and work co-operatively with staff outside the immediate team.

Technical leader: You will be expected to assume responsibility for your technical design work and to advise and support the more junior members of your project teams. You will also be called upon periodically to provide technical input into our formal design checking procedures.

Enthusiastic, hardworking and proud of your work: People at DCA enjoy their work. They like the atmosphere and the variety of work. This is important since it comes through in the results we deliver. You will need to be enthusiastic about the whole process of product creation and delivery.

We are now looking to recruit exceptional graduate mechanical engineers to join our successful and growing product design and development technical team. An understanding of product development processes would be beneficial, but direct experience is not essential for this role.

DCA provides excellent career opportunities for outstanding graduate engineers. If you are an exceptional, highly motivated individual and have a desire to be challenged, express yourself, and make a difference, DCA will excite you.

New staff joining DCA are encouraged to take on project responsibilities and to liaise directly with our clients from the outset. However, should support or guidance be required, this is always available from other team members.

Our staff are our most important asset. To maintain and improve our high professional standards we provide regular professional and technical development training for all our staff. Working as part of a team, with a diversity of skills, also provides excellent learning experience and work satisfaction.

Competitive salaries, together with other benefits such as discretionary bonus and profit related pay schemes, are offered and regularly reviewed.

Listed below are some of the key attributes we would look for from engineering graduates joining DCA:

Broad-based Mechanical Engineering Degree: Your university course should cover a range of engineering disciplines – structures, mechanics, dynamics, fluids, thermodynamics, etc. Technical and intellectual excellence are essential, so good ‘A’ level grades and a 1st or Upper 2nd degree are required (or equivalent qualifications).

Good, confident communicator: Our engineers need to present their ideas persuasively. Good written and verbal communication skills are essential.

Creative problem-solving: Our business is design and to be successful we need to generate novel solutions that are cheaper, more efficient, smaller, more functional, etc.

Logical and well organised: We work under extreme time pressure, and usually engineers at DCA will be working on two or more projects at once. To do this efficiently and effectively you need to be well organised in managing your time.

Appreciation of non-functional design aspects: We operate in multi-functional project teams and mechanical engineers need to co-operate with designers and electronics engineers in order to blend visual and functional aspects of a product.

Self-reliant: You will be expected to take responsibility for your technical design work, although other engineers at DCA will be happy to advise and we have formal checking procedures in place.

Enthusiastic, hardworking and proud of your work: People at DCA enjoy their work. They like the atmosphere and the variety of work. This is important since it comes through in the results we deliver. You will need to be self-motivating and enthusiastic.

Your eyes are always open, you have an opinion and you never stop creating.

We are looking for designers who are passionate about creating product experiences that resonate with consumers’ and users’ values.

You will be the type of person who revels in working with other disciplines. At DCA you will work with the best design researchers, strategists and engineers to help direct, create and deliver relevant and exciting product experiences in multiple markets.

As a member of our staff you will be part of our most important asset. Our clients work with us because we offer the best probability of success when developing highly innovative products. To keep you at the cutting edge we offer regular professional and personal development training and mentoring for all our staff.


As a member of the DCA team, you will:

Work within a multidiscipline team of designers, engineers and social scientists to help create products and product experiences that resonate with consumers and users.

Collaborate with design strategists and design researchers to develop product designs and design strategies based on evidence, including consumer insight and macro influences.

Help create visual brand languages to communicate emotional qualities of a brand through a product.

Initiate, facilitate and participate creative thinking sessions and brainstorms.

Help explore appropriate new technologies and materials to deliver the product vision.

Help create compelling and clear presentations for clients at all stages of the product development process.

Communicate designs through sketch work, hand modelling and computer illustration packages.

Utilise 3D CAD and rendering software to explore and develop product form, layout and visualisations.

Provide input to DCA’s internal cultural and design trends analysis.


You will need to demonstrate that you have:

Lots of enthusiasm and personal motivation.

A great industrial design degree or an equivalent qualification.

High quality, relevant experience in a product design environment.

We are currently looking for a candidate to fill a human factors/usability position within our inter-disciplinary team of researchers and strategists. With a passion for understanding people, you'll collaborate with clients, designers, engineers and colleagues to plan research activities, conduct fieldwork, analyse findings, and translate those insights for diverse audiences. Your enthusiasm and passion for understanding human needs will involve you in many aspects of the research and design process.

We are looking for a talented Human Factors Researcher who possesses strong customer affinity and user empathy, thrives on working in multi-disciplinary teams and has a passion for field research, data analysis and translation. The Human Factors Researcher is a member of the Research team, and will work closely with other design researchers, design strategists and ergonomist’s.


Key areas of responsibility:

Involved in the designing and planning of research projects from conception to execution

Conduct requirements gathering tasks such as stakeholder interviews, observations, contextual inquiries, user interviews, workshops, and other methods

Routinely inventing, developing and introducing new methods and techniques

Translate data into insights, frameworks and expressions of human needs

Help create compelling presentations and design/product recommendations including video capture and editing.

Thrive in cross-disciplinary collaboration to generate user-cantered opportunities and concepts.

Adapt to changing schedules and different types of projects

Spend time travelling (up to 15% as needed)


Skills:

Good product research and analysis skills

Proven track record of applying research methodologies on live client projects

Ability to connect insights to design - The insights and information drawn from research must be translated into an inspirational and useful foundation for design.

Good written and verbal communication skills

Detail-oriented and able to work independently and across disciplines on multiple projects - We are looking for people who can keep up a high degree of rigor.

Empathy and Passion for people - We look for those who have a natural skill to engage with people. They should be passionate about representing a human and humane perspective.

Experienced in the use of video to capture and communicate findings.


Experience:

Degree or higher in Human factors, ergonomics, cognitive psychology, usability, anthropology, design, engineering, or equivalent field

A demonstrated understanding of both qualitative and quantitative methods is preferable.

At least 3 years experience of applying human factors methodologies to product development programs

Proven communication skills 

We are currently looking for a talented design researcher who possesses strong customer affinity and user empathy, thrives on working in multi-disciplinary teams and has a passion for field research, data analysis and translation. The Design Researcher is a member of the Research team, and will work closely with other design researchers, design strategists and ergonomist’s.


Key areas of responsibility:

Involved in the designing and planning of research projects from conception to execution

Conduct requirements gathering tasks such as stakeholder interviews, observations, contextual inquiries, user interviews, workshops, and other methods

Work on research projects from early front end strategic planning work to detailed validation exercises

Translate data into insights, frameworks and expressions of human needs

Help create compelling presentations and design/product recommendations

Adapt to changing schedules and different types of projects

Develop new research methods

Spend time travelling (up to 15% as needed)


Skills:

Good product research and analysis skills

Experience of applying qualitative design research methodologies on live client projects

Good written and verbal communication skills

Detail-oriented and able to work independently and across disciplines on multiple projects

Passion for user experience, and an advocate for the user

Personable and possess an ability to relax consumers and get the most from a field visit


Experience:

Degree or equivalent in Human factors, Cognitive science, Usability, Anthropology, Design, Engineering, or equivalent field

Some experience as a hands-on researcher on client projects preferable (ideally at least 1 year)

Proven communication skills

Can demonstrate experience with project examples

We are currently looking for a talented Design Strategist who is comfortable at the intersection of design and business, possesses strong user empathy, thrives on working in multi-disciplinary teams and has a passion for field research, data analysis and translation. The Design Strategist is a member of the applied product strategy and research team, and will work closely with other design researchers and design strategists.


Key areas of responsibility:

Involved in the designing and planning of research and strategy projects from conception to execution

Conduct requirements gathering tasks such as stakeholder interviews, observations, contextual inquiries, user interviews, workshops, and other methods

Develop and define growth opportunities, roadmaps and strategies for design

Track and identify key user, business and design trends

Translate data into insights, frameworks and expressions of human needs

Design insight frameworks, user models, work-flow diagrams and interaction models to communicate strategic direction

Help create compelling presentations and design/product strategies

Adapt to changing schedules and different types of projects

Develop new research methods

Spend time travelling (up to 15% as needed)


Skills:

Excellent product research and analysis skills

Excellent visualisation and creative thinking skills

Experience of applying qualitative design research methodologies on live client projects

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Competent and comfortable with common terms, models and frameworks used in business and marketing

Detail-oriented and able to work independently and across disciplines on multiple projects

Passion for user experience, and an advocate for the user

Personable and possess an ability to relax consumers and get the most from a field visit


Experience:

5 years of design strategy

Advanced degree or equivalent in user-centred design or design strategy, or advanced degree in Human Factors,

Cognitive science, Usability, Anthropology, Design, or Engineering

Proven communication skills

Can demonstrate experience with project examples