R&D Hardware Prototyping Engineer
(Hardware Whisperer 🌊⚙️)
Significant equity + salary available for this role
London
Please note this role is not live right now but is going live shortly, I thought this period would be a good time to catch people and maybe even have an initial chat.
Location: London with occasional UK & international site visits
Foundational role for an entrepreneurial builder
The Opportunity
This is not a maintenance role.
This is not a “design it and hand it off” role.
This is a from-zero-to-ocean role.
You’ll be the person who turns bold ideas into working marine hardware - sketching, building, testing, breaking, fixing, and deploying real-world systems that operate in some of the harshest environments on Earth.
If you love rapid prototyping, field testing, and seeing your work floating offshore (or bolted to a buoy in rough seas), this role was written for you.
What You’ll Do
You’ll own early-stage hardware development end-to-end, including:
* Rapidly prototyping, assembling, and testing marine hardware - buoys, sensor housings, mooring systems, and edge compute units
* Integrating, calibrating, and validating sensors (salinity, temperature, pressure, optical; e.g., CTDs, YSI EXO-class systems) to ensure reliable, high-integrity data
* Designing and iterating waterproof enclosures, solar power systems, and sensor layouts built for extreme marine conditions
* Collaborating closely with software, robotics, and oceanography specialists to ensure designs survive real-world deployment
* Sourcing marine-grade components, managing small-batch fabrication, and coordinating 3D printing or machining
* Documenting designs, iterating fast, and supporting field trials in the UK and overseas
Who You Are
You’re hands-on first, theoretical second.
* Strong experience building and testing real hardware, not just CAD models
* Deep understanding of embedded systems, sensors, and marine/weatherproofing best practices
* A true maker: engineer, hacker, inventor, and field tester rolled into one
* Comfortable working in workshops, labs, harbours, and offshore environments
Nice-to-haves (not required):
* Small solar systems and lithium battery design
* LoRa, 4G, or low-power telemetry
* Familiarity with maritime standards or regulations
Why Join
* A mission-driven role at the intersection of oceans, climate, and frontier technology
* Flexible, remote-friendly working with travel to stunning coastal R&D sites
* A genuine opportunity to shape core hardware IP from day one
* Direct collaboration with a visionary founding team
* meaningful equity ownership