NPI Development Team Lead

Location: Yateley

From the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on earth, to surging shorelines and anywhere in-between, we make the impossible possible through our continuous passion for innovation. Our people design, engineer and manufacture technologies that are enabling our customers to discover, navigate, measure, detect and communicate in the toughest environment on earth:
Our oceans. Weve been actively developing the technology to make the oceans accessible for over 50 years and were only just getting started At Sonardyne, we value different ways of thinking. Whether you think in code, patterns, systems, or steps, your unique perspective is important to us. As we continue to develop the next generation of complex engineering systems, we are seeking an NPI Development Team Lead to guide and grow a high-performing engineering team at the heart of our product delivery capability.

In this role, you will lead the development of production test systems and supporting technologies that enable the successful introduction of new products into manufacture. You will combine technical leadership with people management, ensuring the team delivers robust, high-quality test solutions while continuously improving processes, tools, and engineering standards. This is a hands-on leadership role, requiring both strong technical capability and the ability to mentor, guide, and inspire a multidisciplinary engineering team.

Dimensions of the Role

Travel Required:

No Offshore Training

Required:

No Medical Requirements:
No Team Leadership:
Yes direct leadership of NPI Development Engineers Stakeholders:
Engineering, Production Support, Software, and Product Development teams What You Will Be Doing Leadership & Team Development Lead, mentor, and develop a team of NPI Development Engineers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture. Conduct regular one-to-one meetings to support development, performance, and engagement. Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and integration of new team members. Promote a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

Project & Resource Management Manage task allocation using Jira, ensuring alignment with priorities, milestones, and delivery schedules. Facilitate estimation and planning sessions to support accurate forecasting and resource planning. Monitor progress across multiple NPI activities, identifying risks, dependencies, and delivery challenges. Produce clear and concise monthly progress reports for management stakeholders. Lead capacity planning and resolve resource conflicts across concurrent projects.

Technical Leadership & Delivery Lead the design and development of high-quality test jigs, including associated electronics and supporting systems. Support new board bring-up activities in collaboration with product design engineers. Develop embedded firmware and PC-based software applications to automate and control production test systems. Drive improvements in test jig functionality, reliability, and efficiency. Influence product design to improve manufacturability and testability.

Maintain robust version control and configuration management for all test systems. Process Improvement & Collaboration Work closely with NPI Production Support Engineers to enhance production test capability and validate new test processes. Collaborate with Software Engineering teams to remain aligned with emerging technologies, tools, and best practices. Produce detailed technical documentation, including specifications, procedures, and engineering diagrams. Support structured fault finding, debugging, and resolution of production test issues.

Coordinate across engineering disciplines to ensure smooth integration of development activities. Facilitate monthly project and resource review meetings with stakeholders and project teams.

What We Are Looking For Essential Skills & Experience Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams within a technical or product development environment. Strong C# development capability, with working knowledge of C or C++. Experience in electronics design interpretation and development of functional test systems. Ability to design and support embedded or PC-based test software. Understanding of Linux command-line tools and development environments.

Strong documentation, planning, and organisational skills. Experience working with production or manufacturing engineering teams. Strong communication skills and the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams. Desirable Skills & Experience

Experience with PCB test jig design and production test systems. Familiarity with Jira or similar task and workflow management tools. Exposure to version control systems and structured software development practices. Background in New Product Introduction (NPI), manufacturing engineering, or test engineering environments. Qualifications Essential Degree in Electrical, Electronic Engineering, or a related engineering discipline Why Join Us At Sonardyne, you will be part of a…