Design the electronics inside Scout, from solar charging and power to the boards that run navigation and carry customer sensors.
Scout runs on our own boards: the embedded computing and navigation boards, the power and solar charging system, and the sensor bay that powers and connects customer instruments. You will design them in KiCad, test them at sea and take them into high-volume production with our assembly partners. That means designing for manufacture and test from the start, with compact, stacked layouts that fit a lot of electronics into a small hull. Scout is a 2.4 m solar-electric boat that holds station for months, so the power your boards draw has a direct effect on how long it can stay out. It also carries hydrophones that listen for underwater vehicles and marine mammals, and a noisy supply or a poor ground shows up in that data. You will own these trade-offs and see the results on the water.
What you will do
- Design schematics and layouts in KiCad, including compact stacked board assemblies, from first sketch to production release.
- Design efficient DC-DC, battery and solar charging circuits for a boat that recharges itself at sea.
- Plan grounding, power and signal routing so IMUs, compasses, radios and hydrophones work cleanly side by side.
- Develop the sensor bay electronics that give customer instruments regulated power and a network connection.
- Bring up, test and debug new boards, and build the test jigs used in production.
- Design for high-volume manufacture and test, and work with assembly houses on build, component supply and production testing.
- Join sea trials and trace faults found in the field back to their cause.
What you will bring
- 5+ years designing PCBs that shipped in a product.
- Strong working knowledge of KiCad.
- Experience taking boards from prototype to high-volume production with a contract manufacturer, designing for manufacture and test.
- Low-power, mixed-signal design experience from drones, robotics or similar products.
- DC-DC converter design and layout.
- Analogue, grounding and filtering for low noise and EMI.
- Confident bench skills with a scope, logic analyser and bench supply.
Southampton. On site. Full time. Competitive salary.
Electronics Engineer On site → in Southampton employer: Online Oceans
Online Oceans provides a unique opportunity for professionals to work on groundbreaking technology in the maritime sector. With a focus on innovation and reliability, employees are part of a team that is shaping the future of autonomous vehicles at sea. The company promotes a collaborative culture and offers competitive benefits, making it an attractive workplace for skilled engineers.
