R&D Manager - Heat Pumps

Portadown, United Kingdom

Full Time

Posted August 25, 2026

£27k - £29k· Est.

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Octopus Centre for Heating Technology is the hardware division of the Octopus Energy Group, one of the UK's leading energy suppliers.

Lead a team of engineers and technicians working on air source heat pumps and associated components across the full development lifecycle.
Define and maintain the technical roadmap for heat pump R&D, balancing short-term delivery with longer-term product strategy.
Work closely with the platform, firmware, and design teams to ensure hardware development is well-integrated with wider product and system decisions.
Oversee the design, testing, and validation of heat pump hardware, including refrigeration circuits, controls, heat exchangers, and system integration.
Lead component selection across the product, working with suppliers to evaluate and qualify parts that meet performance, cost, and reliability requirements.
Manage the lab and field testing programme, drawing on data from real-world installations to inform product decisions.
Lead compliance testing to relevant standards (MCS, CE/UKCA, EN 14511, F-Gas, ErP, etc.) and manage relationships with test houses and certification bodies.
Specify, commission, and maintain test rigs and laboratory facilities to support the team's development and validation work.
Monitor residential heat pump market trends and emerging technologies, using that knowledge to inform product direction and identify opportunities.
Identify and manage technical risk throughout the development process, keeping projects on schedule in a demanding, fast-paced environment.
Support the professional development of engineers and technicians within the team.

A graduate or postgraduate qualification in engineering (mechanical, electrical, or a closely related discipline).
Proven experience managing an engineering team, including project delivery, workload planning, and team development.
Substantial experience in heat pump, HVAC, or refrigeration product development, with a strong working knowledge of thermodynamics, system components, and design tradeoffs.
A demonstrable track record of taking hardware products from concept through to market.
Strong systems-level thinking, with the ability to work across mechanical, electrical, controls, and software domains.
Experience working in a fast-paced development environment, with the ability to manage competing priorities and maintain delivery momentum.
Clear and effective communication skills, including the ability to present technical information to non-technical audiences.
Experience with field-deployed products and using operational data to drive iterative improvement.
Familiarity with UK and EU regulatory requirements for heat pumps and low-carbon heating.
Background in design for manufacture, particularly for volume consumer hardware.