Aero Testing Technician

At McLaren Racing, we’re not just here to try to take the chequered flag. We’re here to excite our fans, inspire our people and deliver for our partners. And we’re also committed to evolving our sport, our industry, and our technology, too.

Purpose of the Role: The core focus of this role is to operate the MTC Wind Tunnel and look after maintenance of its equipment, together with regular operation of other rigs and dynos within the Aero Test Facilities, and to support performance projects, in close collaboration with the Research and Technology engineering team.

Role Dimensions: The key responsibilities of this role are the operation and maintenance of the MTC Wind Tunnel and the other rigs and dynos in the department. When on shift, the Aero Test Technician is responsible for operational safety and to ensure a reliable and successful experiment. Besides covering shifts in the WT and on rigs and dynos, the role holder will contribute to performance projects and experiments at external facilities and trackside. Hence, the workload will be a mixture of clearly planned tasks (shift work and projects) as well as spontaneous jobs enabling the team to react quickly to new requests or opportunities.

Required training will be provided for plant and equipment (rolling road, lasers, robotics, rigs etc.) to enable regular inspection, servicing and maintenance. Regular safety training will be scheduled as well.

The ideal person for this role must have an open approach to learn new systems and adapt to varying requirements for ever changing projects. However continuous training on new and existing systems will ensure to provide confidence and enable the Aero Test Technician to sign off WT and rig installations, provide wind tunnel and rig operation and perform maintenance tasks.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Operate and maintain the MTC Wind Tunnel and other rigs and dynos with responsibility for ensuring established safe working practices are followed.
• Regularly cover shifts in the wind tunnel and on rigs and dynos, which includes work out of office hours and on weekends.
• Conduct experiments successfully with signal health check monitoring and basic data processing as well as end of shift reporting and test documentation in close liaison with the engineering team.
• Assistance in setup of WT systems like PIV (e.g. seeding), and rig installations (e.g. model tyre corner assembly).
• Regular project work on relevant technology incl. basic harnessing, manage equipment stock, etc.
• Contributing to scheduled test facility and equipment inspections, servicing and maintenance incl. belt changes of WT rolling road and model tyre rig.
• Receive regular training on machine and equipment operation within the department.
• Health & safety training, including incl. laser safety, working at height, crane operation, lifting & slinging, manual handling and opportunity for training as a first aider and fire warden.
• Storage and tools management incl. spares in the wind tunnel area, on rigs and dynos, and in the lab.
• Close collaboration with engineers in Research & Technology, Aerodynamics, Vehicle Performance, Race Team, Control Systems, Electronics, and the Design Office on projects and experiments.
• Assist with preparation of reports and guidelines.
• Occasional support trackside and at external test facilities which may involve travel and work outside UK.

Job requirements:

• Experience in operation of test installations, machinery, and safety critical equipment.
• Hands-on experience in assembly of systems for either wind tunnel, rig or dyno testing.
• Familiarity with GUI based control software for plant and test rig installations.
• Ability to create and repair basic electric wiring would be beneficial.
• Sound knowledge of computers and basic applications (MS Office).
• Maintaining a basic understanding of CAD software for assembly interrogation (training provided).

Personal Attributes:

• A team player who can support others whilst also getting involved in day-to-day tasks as necessary.
• Methodical approach to solve problems while keeping a cool head in stressful situations.
• Flexibility in responding to critical deadlines.
• A drive and commitment to continuous improvement and high attention to detail.
• Curiosity and eagerness to learn new things.
• Self-motivated with high levels of initiative and can-do attitude.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.

What McLaren can offer? We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part. We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace.

McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.