Senior Development Technologist in Reading

Job Overview

The successful candidate will be part of a multi-disciplinary team, working on rapid-turnaround research and development programmes to deliver a variety of innovative lubricants, greases, Dielectric, and any other fluids that our motorsport partners need technical support for. The products being developed will provide the highest levels of performance, durability, and sustainability possible. You will be the lubricant authority for your tagged motorsport team and will be in direct contact with engineers and senior leadership from some of the top motorsport teams in the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary technical interface for assigned motorsport partners by providing experienced lubricant development support, building strong networks across their technical organisations, and delivering detailed engineering insights directly to OEM teams.
• Handle lubricant development projects end-to-end by planning, accomplishing, documenting, and delivering R&D programmes to agreed achievements, budgets, and trackside-driven timelines.
• Lead the development and optimisation of high-performance motorsport fluids by formulating, refining, and validating products for engines, transmissions, chassis systems, and motorsport factory applications.
• Design and implement comprehensive fluid test programmes that investigate critical design characteristics including tribology, rheology, lubrication regimes, viscosity behaviour, surface chemistry, thermal stability, and other essential performance properties.
• Collaborate across bp-Castrol’s technology, operations, and commercial functions by engaging with subject-matter guides, analysts, stewardship, IP, legal, quality, logistics, and external suppliers to ensure seamless delivery of development programmes.
• Coordinate lubricant quality control and product release by reviewing analytical data, approving or rejecting batches, maintaining customer-specific limits, and driving corrective actions where performance expectations are not met.
• Coordinate with Castrol’s operational teams by preparing blending instructions, validating raw materials, and providing the support required to successfully manufacture motorsport-specific fluids for use in partners’ factories and at race events.
• Support the Motorsport Operations Team by ensuring all lubricant-related shipments carry correct documentation and meet regulatory and safety requirements for global movement.
• Mentor and support colleagues within the motorsport technology team by sharing technical knowledge, developing capability, and supplying to a high-performance, learning-focused team culture.
• Champion bp-Castrol’s technical excellence within motorsport by supporting internal and external communications, strengthening technical credibility, and reinforcing the value of motorsport technology to strategic OEM partnerships.

Essential qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in Engineering, Chemistry, Tribology, Materials Science, or a closely related technical subject area.
• Demonstrated experience in lubricant, additive, or mobility-fluid development, including hands-on formulation, testing, or applied performance analysis.
• Solid knowledge of lubrication fundamentals, including friction, wear mechanisms, viscosity behaviour, surface chemistry, rheology, and lubrication regimes relevant to engines, transmissions, and other automotive systems.
• Confirmed experience delivering technical R&D or product-development projects, with the ability to plan work, handle timelines, document results, and drive projects through to completion.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including experimental design, interpretation of test data, root-cause investigation, and evidence-based decision-making.
• Ability to work autonomously and proactively, demonstrating ownership of technical tasks and responsibility for project outcomes.
• Effective communication and social skills, with the ability to present insights clearly and engage confidently with internal and external participants.
• Collaborative approach with multi-functional teams, demonstrating the ability to work effectively with laboratory staff, data analysts, operations, product stewardship, legal/IP, and external suppliers or test houses.

Desirable

• Experience in motorsport-related lubricant, fluid, or additive development, or direct technical engagement with motorsport or automotive OEM partners.
• Strong knowledge of automotive hardware, including combustion engines, transmissions, electrified powertrains, battery/EV systems, or hydraulic systems.

Why join our team?

At Castrol, we provide an excellent working environment and employee benefits such as an open and inclusive culture, a great work-life balance, tremendous learning and development opportunities to craft your career path, life and health insurance, medical care package, and many others. We support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and complicated environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to crafting an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly. There are many aspects of our employees’ lives that are important, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits can include flexible working options, collaboration spaces in a modern office environment, and many others benefits.

Legal Disclaimer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process. If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us. If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.