Junior Build & Test Technician in Buckingham

Job Title: Junior Build & Test Technician

Term: Permanent

Location: On site in Buckingham

SUMMARY:

An exciting opportunity has arisen at Hooper Quinn for a talented, motivated, and detail-oriented Junior Build & Test Technician to join our growing team.

This role is ideal for an early-career technical who has a flare for hands-on engineering work, takes pride in their work, and is eager to learn from highly experienced engineers and technicians from high-performance industries. The successful candidate will support the build, assembly, integration, testing, and documentation of complex prototype and products, bespoke research and development rigs, and advanced engineering systems.

Working closely with engineers and senior technicians, you will help assemble mechanical, electrical, and electronic systems, support structured testing, record build and test information clearly, and contribute to the smooth running of workshop and engineering activities.

This is a unique opportunity for someone with strong practical instincts, a careful and methodical approach, and the ambition to develop into a highly capable build and test technician within a dynamic, top-tier engineering environment.

PACKAGE:

Culture, Team, & Environment

• Quarterly team days
• Annual company ski holiday
• A critical role within a thriving, ambitious, and innovative organisation
• Work alongside a close-knit team of exceptional people who excel in their fields
• Supportive working environment in an inspiring facility situated in the Buckinghamshire countryside

Rewards & Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 8% pension
• Performance bonus scheme
• Comprehensive healthcare cover (extendible to dependants)
• Cycle2Work scheme
• 36 days’ annual leave (including Bank hols.)

Development & Growth

• Significant opportunities for professional development
• Exposure to diverse, cutting-edge projects across multiple industries
• Mentoring and support from senior engineers

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the build of mechanical, electrical, and electronic assemblies for prototype, test, and development projects
• Assist with the setup and operation of test rigs, fixtures, and prototype systems under guidance from engineers and senior technicians
• Carry out basic functional, performance, and quality checks in line with instructions and test procedures
• Record build notes, test results, observations, issues, and changes clearly and accurately
• Support engineers and technicians with troubleshooting, fault finding, rework, and design iteration activities
• Assist with organising project parts, consumables, tools, and workshop materials
• Support procurement and inventory activities, including checking received parts against drawings, BoMs, purchase orders, or supplier information
• Help maintain a clean, safe, organised, and efficient workshop environment
• Follow build procedures, test instructions, risk assessments, and safe working practices
• Contribute ideas for improving build methods, test procedures, workshop organisation, and documentation

Essential Attributes:

• A strong practical mindset and genuine interest in hands-on engineering
• Care, patience, and attention to detail when assembling, checking, and documenting work
• Pride in producing clean, reliable, well-organised engineering work
• Willingness to learn from engineers, technicians, suppliers, and practical experience
• A methodical approach to problem-solving, fault finding, and understanding why something is not working
• Good personal organisation and the ability to manage assigned tasks responsibly
• Confidence to ask questions, raise issues early, and communicate clearly with the wider team
• Alignment with Hooper Quinn’s values of curiosity, craft, and resilience

Skills & Qualifications:

• Some hands-on engineering, workshop, build, repair, maintenance, assembly, testing, or practical technical experience is essential
• A relevant apprenticeship, college qualification, NVQ, BTEC, HNC, degree, or similar is advantageous but not required
• Experience may come from employment, apprenticeships, motorsport, Formula Student, university projects, personal projects, model engineering, vehicle work, electronics projects, fabrication, maintenance, or similar practical environments
• Basic experience using workshop tools and equipment safely and carefully
• Basic experience assembling mechanical parts, brackets, frames, mechanisms, fixtures, or other engineering components
• Familiarity with measurement and inspection tools, such as callipers, micrometers, rulers, gauges, or torque tools, is desirable
• Experience with wiring, crimping, soldering, connectors, cable routing, or simple electrical assembly is beneficial
• Ability to read or learn to interpret engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, assembly instructions, BoMs, and test procedures
• Familiarity with basic test equipment, such as multimeters, power supplies, sensors, or simple instrumentation, is advantageous
• Basic CAD familiarity or ability to interpret CAD images/drawings is beneficial but not essential
• Good communication skills and willingness to collaborate with engineers and technicians across disciplines
• Ability to maintain clear notes and documentation of build and test activities
• A positive, reliable, and proactive approach to varied work in a fast-moving engineering consultancy environment

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply, please submit the following to careers@hooperquinn.com, using “V26025 – Junior Build & Test Technician” as the subject of your email:

1. CV

2. Cover letter outlining your suitability for this role and your motivation for joining Hooper Quinn

3. Response to the Application Tasks detailed below

You are welcome to include relevant work samples/portfolio in support of your application.

IMPORTANT:

1) Applications will not be considered if any of the three required documents is missing

2) Only applications submitted to the above email address will be considered

Application Exercises:

These short exercises are designed to give us an insight into how you think, communicate, and approach challenges, and equally, to give you a feel for the types of situations you may encounter in this role. Please ensure your responses reflect your own reasoning and experience. Submissions that appear to have been generated primarily by AI tools will not be considered.

Please take no more than 45 minutes to complete the exercises.

EXERCISE 1: Fault Diagnosis

During testing of a prototype system, a mechanical assembly driven by a small electric motor fails after only a few minutes of operation.

Observed symptoms:

• The motor becomes very hot
• The mechanism occasionally jams or stalls
• A faint grinding noise can be heard during operation

You have access to the prototype, the test rig, and standard workshop tools.

Task

Describe how you would approach diagnosing the problem.

Your answer should include:

1. The possible causes you would investigate
2. The checks or measurements you would perform
3. How you would isolate the root cause
4. How you would document and communicate the issue to the engineering team

Please limit your response to approximately 250 words.

EXERCISE 2: Prototype Build Planning

You are asked to assemble a prototype mechanical system consisting of:

• a motor
• a gearbox
• a mounting frame
• a small electronic control module

The components have arrived from different suppliers and must be assembled into a working prototype for testing.

Task

Describe how you would approach this build.

Your answer should include:

1. The checks you would perform before starting the build
2. How you would organise the assembly process
3. What you would do to ensure build quality and reliability
4. How you would record the build for future reference

Please limit your response to approximately 250 words.

EXERCISE 3: Practical Engineering Experience

Please describe a practical engineering project, build, repair, test, or technical task you have worked on. This could be from employment, an apprenticeship, college, university, motorsport, a personal project, vehicle work, electronics, maintenance, fabrication, or another relevant setting.

Include:

• What the task or project was
• What your role was
• What tools, methods, or checks you used
• One problem you encountered
• What you learned

Maximum: 250 words

Thank you for taking the time to complete these exercises. We appreciate the effort you put into your application and look forward to learning more about you.