Electrical & Controls Engineer in Hitchin

At One Good Thing, we are shaking up the food industry with the world’s first wrapper‑free energy bars. Our disruptive proprietary beeswax‑based coating provides the benefits of plastic packaging without the waste, applied with our unique manufacturing machinery. We are a bold, ambitious and fast‑growing startup looking for passionate, high‑energy individuals who take pride in their work and thrive on solving original product challenges.

We are looking for a creative and driven Electrical and Controls Engineer who will lead the design and development, prototyping, and delivery of electromechanical systems and automated production line systems. The role is accountable for technical ownership of projects, mentoring junior engineers, and delivering production‑ready solutions with urgency. It directly supports the Engineering department’s objectives:

• Strengthening and supporting existing hardware for operations.
• Designing the next generation of production line systems to increase throughput.
• Creating novel solutions in food coating application, soft food moulding, and related technologies to ensure and retain market leadership.

As we are a small team, your role and activities will be wide‑reaching. You will be joining OGT at an exciting period of growth and this is an excellent opportunity to make a real impact and share in our success.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and debug PLC code. You will be the "brain" behind the machine, ensuring smooth, safe, and efficient operations.
• Own a significant portion of the testing phase of our product development lifecycle, in tandem with our test engineer.
• Identify bottlenecks in our current assets and implement hardware or software "upgrades" to boost OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
• Collaborate with the design team to build prototypes, run feasibility tests, and document results for new product or process developments.

Who You Are

• Mission‑Driven & Ambitious: You’re excited by our "unique" wrapper‑free product and see its original challenges as an innovation playground.
• The Inquisitive Maker: You don’t just accept the status quo; you ask "why?" and take the initiative to solve problems before being asked.
• Ultimate team player: We are a small team with big objectives. Working together is a must, communicating clearly and helping each other help us succeed.
• High Standards & Pride: Whether running a test sequence or writing a technical specifications document, you care about excellence. You know that in production, detail equals safety and quality.
• Reliable & Optimistic: You’re a "glass‑half‑full" teammate who balances a positive attitude with the honesty needed to maintain high performance.
• The "Growth" Mindset: You don’t just want a job; you want a career. You have a strong ambition to grow your technical toolkit as the business scales, and you want to partake in creating the building blocks of a strong and efficient company.

Culture & The "OGT Way"

• One Team: We have a "muck‑in" culture. On any given day, you might see an engineer helping production—we win and lose as one team.
• Drive & Delivery: We aren’t a standard 9‑to‑5. We value speed and delivery, looking for people who stay until the job is done and proactively seek the next challenge.
• In‑Person Collaboration: We are an "in‑person" team because we believe camaraderie and quick problem‑solving happen best together in the workshop.
• Growth & Acceleration: This is for those who want to move fast. We want people willing to work hard to achieve shared success and grow their careers.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience: Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in an electrical or controls engineering environment, ideally in manufacturing or automation sectors.
• The Logic: Minimum of 2 years of proven experience programming PLC systems. While we use various platforms, specific experience with Beckhoff (TwinCAT) is highly desirable.
• Hardware Fluency: Comfortable with electrical panel design, sensor selection and integration, and motor drive configuration.
• Education: A degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Controls, Automation, or a related field (or equivalent hands‑on vocational experience).

What OGT will offer

• Free OGT subscription
• Share options (EMI scheme)
• And more to come!

At present, we require candidates to have unrestricted right to work in the UK.