Mechanical Engineer (Contractor)

• Design, build and commission hydraulic test rigs and prototype products that integrate with heat pumps (buffer tanks, hot water cylinders, heat exchangers, circulation and modulation hardware, and similar). • Carry out hands-on assembly and plumbing of water-side and refrigerant-adjacent systems - pipework, fittings, pumps, valves, sensors and controls. • Instrument rigs with temperature, flow and pressure measurement, and run structured test campaigns to characterise both systems and components performance. • Diagnose and troubleshoot hydraulic, thermal and mechanical issues on live systems, and feed findings back into the design. • Work closely with the wider R&D team to iterate designs quickly, balancing performance, cost, manufacturability and serviceability. • Produce clear documentation: test plans, build instructions, results write-ups and design records.

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering (or a closely related discipline). • Minimum 5 years' relevant experience in an R&D, product development or test environment. • Demonstrable heat pump knowledge - you understand how heat pumps work, their operating envelopes, and how the hydraulic system around them behaves (flow, temperature, ΔT, defrost, modulation, etc.). • Strong hands-on experience - this is the most important requirement. You can build, plumb, commission and fault-find systems yourself, not just specify them. Practical plumbing and pipework skills are essential. • Experience working with hydraulic systems - pumps, valves, heat exchangers, tanks, pipework and the behaviour of water-side circuits. • Comfortable instrumenting rigs and interpreting test data to draw engineering conclusions. • CAD proficiency for designing rig components and prototype parts. • Able to work independently and using own initiative on-site in Slough and move quickly in a fast-paced R&D environment.