Position: Manufacturing Architect

Location: Reading

Salary: Up to £100,000 DOE

KO2’s client is hiring a founding motor manufacturing architect / engineer to take full ownership of a brand new, high performance manufacturing facility in Reading

This is a genuine ground up opportunity. You will set up the motor assembly facility from scratch, defining how it should be designed, laid out and operated. With a blank sheet in front of you, you will architect the manufacturing processes, select equipment, and build a production environment that sets the benchmark for motor manufacturing in Europe

The facility will focus on small brushless motors used in defence applications, with specifications ranging from 1kW to 15kW power and 6 to 14S voltage platforms. Alongside motor production, the site will also incorporate PCB assembly, creating a tightly integrated manufacturing environment

Your remit is not just to build the facility, but to run it. You will manage day to day operations, implement robust processes, and continuously optimise performance across yield, throughput and quality. The ambition is clear to scale this into the highest volume production facility of its type in Europe

Working closely with design engineering, you will take motors from concept into full production. You will establish stator winding processes, rotor and stator assembly, bearing installation, balancing and final verification. You will procure and commission winding equipment, develop fixtures and tooling, and implement quality systems including process controls, inspection and traceability

You will also take ownership of supplier qualification across key components such as laminations, magnets, winding wire, bearings and housings, ensuring consistent quality from incoming materials through to final product

As the facility grows, you will build and lead the manufacturing team, setting the standard for how the operation runs and scales

This role requires a hands on engineer who can move between strategy and execution. You should have experience in motor or electromechanical manufacturing, particularly in scaling or optimising production lines. Experience with winding, assembly and in process electrical testing is essential, and exposure to high reliability environments such as aerospace or defence would be highly valuable

This is an opportunity for someone who wants full ownership and the chance to build a best in class manufacturing operation from the ground up, then prove it at scale

Role requirements and logistics

Full time onsite role based in Reading

Salary £50,000 to £100,000 with flexibility for exceptional candidates
Short term contract options can be considered as an interim solution while a permanent hire is secured

If you are looking for a role where you can design the factory, build the processes, and run the operation to a world class standard, this is that opportunity

Apply today with an up to date CV.

Embedded Software Lead – MedTech
Bristol (3–4 days on-site)
£75,000 + £20,000–£25,000 bonus + excellent benefits

KO2’s client is an innovative and fast-growing technology business developing advanced wearable devices within a medically regulated environment. They are now seeking an Embedded Software Medical Lead to play a critical role in shaping the next generation of their products, although being narrowly focused on highly specialised or niche medical systems.

This is a leadership position within the R&D function, sitting alongside mechanical leadership and taking ownership of embedded software at a system level.

The Opportunity

You’ll act as the system-level lead across embedded software and hardware, driving design, integration, and validation of both current and next-generation wearable products.

This role blends hands-on engineering, technical leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, giving you real influence over product direction without being confined to purely regulatory work.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Contribute to early-stage innovation, exploring new technologies in embedded systems and wearable applications
• Develop proof-of-concepts and functional prototypes
• Identify risks early and shape product direction through informed engineering decisions
• Support usability testing and concept validation

• Lead system design across software and hardware for new product development
• Own design control, risk management, and verification/validation activities
• Provide technical oversight and challenge solutions to ensure high-quality delivery
• Investigate complex technical issues and support resolution of field challenges
• Drive continuous improvements in performance, reliability, and cost
• Work closely with quality and cross-functional teams

What KO2’s client is looking for

• Strong background in embedded software development (ideally with some hardware exposure)
• Experience working on physical products (not purely cloud or desktop systems)
• Background in a regulated environment (medical, safety-critical, or similar preferred, but not overly specialised)
• Solid understanding of full product lifecycle, from concept through to launch and improvement
• Experience with design control, testing, and documentation
• Strong communicator with the ability to lead and influence

Technical skills:

• Experience in C or C++ (or similar embedded languages)
• Understanding of electronics or hardware integration (beneficial, not essential)
• Awareness of cybersecurity and safety considerations

This role would suit someone who:

• Wants to step into or continue in a technical leadership role
• Enjoys working on tangible, real-world products
• Prefers broad engineering ownership rather than being siloed
• Has some exposure to regulated environments but doesn’t want an overly compliance-heavy role.

Salary and Benefits

• £75,000 base salary
• On-target bonus of £20,000–£25,000
• Strong benefits package
• A key leadership role in a growing R&D team
• The opportunity to work on cutting-edge wearable technology with real-world impact

If you’re an embedded software engineer ready to lead at a systems level—and want to work on innovative wearable products in a collaborative, fast-moving environment—this could be a great next step.

Senior Embedded Software Engineer
Eastbourne, East Sussex
3 days onsite | 2 days remote

Competitive salary + Bonus up to 7.5%

KO2’s client, a well-established and financially stable engineering company, is looking to recruit a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join their growing development team in Eastbourne. This is an excellent opportunity to join a business known for long-term stability, strong engineering culture, and investment in innovation.

Working in a collaborative multi-disciplinary team, you’ll play a key role in the development of embedded software for advanced electronic systems, contributing across the full software development lifecycle from requirements capture through to release and validation.

The position offers a hybrid working model with 3 days onsite and 2 days remote each week.

The Role

As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer, you will develop and support embedded software used in controller systems, instrumentation, and interfaces. You will work on both new product development and enhancements to existing platforms, helping deliver robust, production-ready software for global projects.

You’ll collaborate closely with engineers across hardware, systems, and product teams while also providing technical guidance within the software group.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain embedded software for controller and instrumentation platforms
• Work across the full software development lifecycle, from requirements capture to validation and release
• Design scalable, maintainable software architectures that promote code reuse and collaboration
• Participate in Agile/SCRUM-based development projects
• Support integration and testing of software with hardware systems
• Investigate and diagnose software and hardware related issues
• Develop test harnesses, automation tools, and validation scripts
• Ensure code is delivered with appropriate design and test documentation
• Contribute to improvements in software development processes and quality standards
• Provide technical mentoring and guidance to less experienced engineers

Skills & Experience Required

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, or a related discipline
• Strong embedded software development experience
• Experience developing software for electronics-based products
• Familiarity with embedded processors and hardware interaction
• Experience working within structured software development processes
• Understanding of Agile / SCRUM development methodologies
• Experience delivering production-ready embedded systems
• Ability to troubleshoot and diagnose embedded software and hardware issues
• Experience working within multi-disciplinary engineering teams

Desirable Experience

• Experience working within regulated or compliance-driven industries
• Experience working within global engineering teams
• Exposure to automation, test development, or software validation frameworks

Why Join KO2’s Client?

• Stable and well-established engineering business
• Hybrid working: 3 days onsite / 2 days remote
• Annual bonus up to 7.5%
• Strong culture of collaboration, trust, and accountability
• Opportunities for career development and technical progression
• Work on complex engineering systems within a highly skilled team

Lead Power Electronics Engineer
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Onsite – 5 days per week
Salary up to £65,000 + Bonus up to 7.5%

KO2’s client, a well-established and financially stable engineering organisation, is looking to recruit a Lead Power Electronics Engineer to join their engineering team in Eastbourne. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly experienced electronics engineer to take a technical leadership role in the design and development of advanced electronic systems.

Due to the hands-on nature of the hardware development and testing, this role is fully onsite in Eastbourne and offers the chance to work closely with multidisciplinary teams across engineering, product management, and operations.

The Role

As a Lead Power Electronics Engineer, you will play a key role in driving the design, development, and delivery of innovative electronic solutions across multiple product lines. Acting as a senior technical authority within the team, you will guide engineering decisions, ensure best practices in electronics design, and support the successful transition of products from concept through to production.

You will work closely with engineers across multiple disciplines, mentor colleagues, and contribute to the delivery of high-performance, reliable electronic systems that meet both business objectives and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of advanced electronic systems, ensuring high standards of performance, reliability, and manufacturability
• Maintain awareness of product roadmaps and technology developments, identifying opportunities for innovation and future product improvements
• Integrate advanced electronic techniques and design approaches to enhance product capability and competitiveness
• Ensure a holistic approach to product development, balancing design optimisation with manufacturability, quality, and reliability
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering team members, promoting best practices and guiding projects to successful completion
• Lead the resolution of complex technical challenges, using structured problem-solving and root cause analysis techniques
• Collaborate with product management and cross-functional teams to define and deliver new product capabilities within project timelines
• Work closely with external suppliers and technical specialists to incorporate new technologies and strengthen the team’s knowledge base
• Ensure designs support effective component and system-level testing and meet safety and compliance requirements

Skills & Experience Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related discipline
• Strong experience in electronic circuit design, including both analogue and digital systems
• Significant experience working in global, multi-disciplinary engineering environments
• Expertise in analogue electronics design, including areas such as low-noise amplifiers and RF amplifier design
• Strong understanding of high-speed digital design principles
• Experience designing high voltage electronic circuits and instrumentation
• Experience working with microcontroller-based systems (e.g., ARM, DSP architectures)
• Knowledge of high-speed communication interfaces such as I2C, SPI, UART, Ethernet, RS485, RS232, CANopen, and fieldbus technologies
• Experience using schematic capture and PCB layout tools such as Altium or OrCAD
• Experience working within regulated or compliance-driven industries or high-reliability environments (e.g., aerospace, medical, industrial systems)
• Understanding of product safety and electromagnetic compatibility standards such as EN 61010
• Strong understanding of product development processes and the ability to recommend improvements
• Experience working with global engineering teams and cross-disciplinary design groups

Desirable Experience

• Membership of a professional body such as the IET, or working toward Chartered Engineer status
• Experience using engineering or product lifecycle tools such as SAP or Silicon Expert
• Experience working within Agile (SCRUM) and Waterfall project management frameworks
• Experience working closely with suppliers and external technology partners

Why Join KO2’s Client?

• Salary up to £65,000 plus bonus up to 7.5%
• Work within a stable and globally established engineering organisation
• Opportunity to take a technical leadership role in complex electronics development
• Work alongside highly skilled multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Opportunity to contribute to innovative, high-performance electronic systems
• Strong culture of engineering excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement