Role: Senior Hydraulics Engineer

Location: Leamington Spa - Midlands Technical Centre, Shoreham Technical Centre, Prague Technical Centre

Job ID: 2024 - 2240

Automotive and Industrial, part the Ricardo PLC Group is a trusted global engineering services partner for clean and efficient integrated propulsion and energy systems.

Our experience and history over more than 100 years at the forefront of mobility innovation, enables us to deliver solutions to the most complex challenges, allowing our customers across all global transport sectors to achieve a sustainable zero-carbon future.

Purpose

As Ricardo strategically expands its breadth of application engineering across new market sectors and territories, customer projects incorporating complex hydraulic systems are becoming an everyday part of our project portfolio. This role is targeted at bringing a strong but somewhat dispersed team of engineers with hydraulic engineering skills, together with some additional recruits, to build and lead a centre of competency for Ricardo.

Typical project applications range from dual clutch or automatic transmission control systems to large complex off highway power hydraulic systems. Typical recent/current example projects with complex hydraulic system requirements include:

• Multi speed EDU hydraulic systems.
• Multi speed Commercial vehicle transmission.
• Hydraulics system for Dedicated Hybrid Transmissions.
• Planetary Automatic Transmission for Heavy Duty applications.

The responsibilities of the hydraulic role include carrying out the following tasks relating to hydraulic system engineering, according to a managed product development process and include engineering approval:

Key activities

• Concept to detail design of hydraulic systems and components.
• Defining and supporting testing of hydraulic components and sub-assemblies.
• Simulation and detailed analysis of hydraulics systems and component design features.
• Development and validation of hydraulics systems and components.
• Problem investigation and resolution.
• Interaction with external customers and suppliers.
• Collaboration and providing technical guidance to design teams to integrate and implement hydraulics systems and components into transmission designs.
• Develop internal guidelines and practices related to hydraulics technical domain.
• From a very significant breadth and depth of knowledge of hydraulic systems engineering, the successful candidate will need to exude confidence and enthusiasm in this field; whilst also being able to apply a system engineering approach, maintain structured issue resolution practices such as 8D, including dealing with the interfaces to the product mechanical and electronic control systems.
• Some overseas / UK travel is necessary.

Key accountabilities

• Highly capable of understanding, specifying and designing complex hydraulic systems from a basis of first principle knowledge/competency.
• Deep knowledge/contact with the supply base for automotive, mobile and industrial hydraulic components would be beneficial.
• An understanding of the operating system and control/power hydraulic system requirements for both on and off highway vehicles (minimum specialism in one and confidence with the other).
• Ability to manage the development and validation of hydraulic components in both the field and laboratory.
• Able to lead/manage the delivery of the hydraulic system element of projects through their lifecycle, including issue identification and resolution according to a structured process.
• Understanding of the principles of electronic control systems which interface with the hydraulic systems and willingness to cross the boundaries to resolve issues.
• Understanding and experience of systems engineering processes would be an advantage.
• Strong communication and team leadership skills together with a leadership style that attracts and retains engineering talent.
• Experience of hydraulic system 1D simulation packages such as Amesim would be an advantage.

Working with Ricardo

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.

We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on.  Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.

Wellbeing and work life balance

Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential. Our People are important to us, and we take pride in our wellbeing programs and policies that support individuals including flexible working, careers policy, mental health first aiders and readily available support through our extensive Employee Assistance program.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment.

Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.

Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.

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