Career Opportunities
This page contains details of our current opportunities and the working
environment at Plextek. It is divided into a number of sections and
you should click on the link below to go straight to the section of
your choice.
PERMANENT OPPORTUNITIES
USER INTERFACE/WEB DEVELOPER
We are looking to recruit a User Interface/Web Developer to join our new venture company Telensa (www.telensa.com), now emerging as one of the leading providers of Street Lighting Remote Control and Monitoring systems. Our system uses radio communications to link street lights back to a central database and web server in order to allow street lighting to be managed in a sophisticated and energy efficient way
You will be working as part of a small close-knit team on the development of the web based user interface through which end users configure the street lighting system and analyse and interpret measured data from the street lights in order to optimise performance and minimise energy usage.
The environment is a Linux operating system running an apache/PHP web server. The user interface connects to a Firebird database and runs standard SQL queries. Externally there is also an interface through an ETL tool, Jitterbit, for interfacing to Asset Management Systems.
You are likely to have all, or at least many, of the following skills and experience:
• Education to degree level
• Experience of web based application development
• Experience of writing PHP
• Experience of interfacing to databases and writing SQL queries
Specific technical experience of the following areas will be considered an advantage (although not essential):
• Experience of using the Ext JS library
• Knowledge of a Linux environment
• Experience of the Firebird database
• Experience of using ETL tools
You will be:
• An enthusiastic team player, but be able to work independently
• Prepared to do what is required in a small start up company environment
• Be prepared to learn new skills as necessary
• Have good communications skills
• Have good organisation skills
FIELD AND OPERATIONS ENGINEER
We are looking to recruit a Field engineer to join our new venture company Telensa (www.telensa.com), now emerging as one of the leading providers of Street Lighting Remote Control and Monitoring systems. Our system uses radio communications to link street lights back to a central database and web server in order to allow street lighting to be managed in a sophisticated and energy efficient way. Our systems are either hosted by our customers or by us (mostly using outsourced hosting facilities).
The role is a combination of system installation, commissioning and customer support, for both customer and Telensa operated networks together with operations and support of our own hosted networks. It will be both field and office based. There may also be opportunities to assist the development team with system test.
The role will be broad and will need someone who is prepared to get involved in a wide range of different engineering disciplines from radio system deployment to database and web software, and from practical hands on engineering in the field to providing customers with training and support or defining and writing operations documentation. It will involve some weekend 'on-call' support.
You are likely to have all, or at least many, of the following skills and experience:
• An engineering degree
• Experience of design, management or test of large IT systems
• Experience of design or deployment of communication infrastructure
• Customer support of IT or communications systems
Specific technical experience of the following area will be considered an advantage:
• Linux network management
• Database and web based systems (we use Firebird and apache)
• Radio systems design, planning or deployment
You will be:
• An enthusiastic team player, but be able to work independently
• Prepared to do what is required in a small start up company environment
• Be prepared to learn new skills as necessary
• Have good communications skills, and be prepared to work in customer facing roles
• Have good organisation skills
The job will involve visits to customer sites and may include international travel.
RF Microwave IC Design Engineer
We are looking for an RF and microwave IC design engineer to join our RF IC group. You will ideally have experience in the design of MMICs in GaAs technology. However, applications are also invited from candidates with Si RF IC or component level microwave PCB/MIC design experience. Successful candidates would be expected to design in a range of technologies including:
- GaAs MMIC
- SiGe IC
- Multi-Chip Modules (MCMs)
- SMT based design at RF & microwave frequencies to component level
- RF and microwave PCB/MIC using various substrate technologies including HDI FR4, thick and thin-film ceramic, LTCC
Experience in some of the following areas would also be an advantage:
- Communications system design
- IC packaging technology
- RFOW test
- High power microwave amplifier design
- Passive component design (filters, couplers, baluns)
- Low noise synthesiser design
- Digital modulation schemes
CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES
ASSEMBLY TECHNICIAN
We are looking to recruit a contract assembly technician to join our new venture company Telensa (www.telensa.com), now emerging as one of the leading providers of Street Lighting Remote Control and Monitoring systems.
This post is ideally suited to a qualified technician preferably with some experience of hand soldering of small surface mount devices and experience in wiring and general electronics assembly, possibly to IPC-A-610 class2. This is a junior post and on-the-job training will be given but you will be expected to carry out the job on your own. The right attitude and an ability to learn are more important than experience.
This post involves shift working as part of a small team.
Candidate profile
The successful candidate will have:
• Good organisational skills and self-motivation.
• The ability to work with minimum supervision.
• A high quality and efficient approach to the job.
• Experience of working closely with others as part of a team.
• An appropriate relevant qualification in electronics (ONC or NVQ equivalent) would be preferable but is not essential.
• IT literacy in Word and Excel.
• A demonstrable interest in electronics, mechanical assembly etc.
An enthusiastic, practical and friendly candidate, who possesses common sense, would be at a distinct advantage.
As part of our selection process, applicants will be required to demonstrate their wiring and assembly skills.
Contract is for a minimum of one month possibly rising to 3 months.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
For all electronic engineering positions you should have a good class
degree (probably Electrical/Electronic Engineering although other relevant
subjects may be appropriate) and are likely to have had an early interest
in practical electronics. Typically you will have a BEng or MEng, and
possibly a 2nd degree (PhD candidates are of interest where you have
also gained some relevant commercial experience).
For other positions we advertise any requirement for specific qualifications
will be clearly stated.
Together with relevant experience you will be an ideal candidate if
you have a practical/innovative approach to problem solving and a keen
interest in understanding precisely how things work. You are likely
to be comfortable working with hardware and software, and be keen to
broaden your knowledge outside your core area of expertise.
Plextek offers a unique opportunity to take charge of projects/discrete
tasks within projects and so suits candidates who desire this level
of personal responsibility. You are also likely to have close contact
with clients and other third party suppliers so good communication and
client liaison skills are essential (foreign languages are not essential
but would be an added bonus). As we are prepared to give our design
consultants responsibility and accountability, you must be comfortable
and able to work with minimum supervision. You should be highly motivated,
with a keen desire to produce high quality designs and derive satisfaction
from producing good quality pieces of work.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT, CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND BENEFITS
Plextek was established by its founders to provide a unique working
environment for creative engineers, conducive to producing high quality
work. This is partly provided by the nature of the work we undertake
which, as you see from other pages on this website, gives exposure to
a wide variety of clients and technologies, encompasses the whole product
development cycle from inception through to manufacture and gives the
opportunity to develop proprietary systems as well as work with standards-based
products. We have created an environment conducive to producing high
quality work through our attention to the physical and environmental
aspects of the workplace. For the most part our engineers work at our
purpose-built 37,000 square foot office, laboratory and meeting-room
complex set in a picturesque semi-rural location with ample parking,
a direct train link to Cambridge and London Liverpool Street, and easy
access to the M11, Cambridge and many surrounding towns and villages.
This allows you to make best use of the prototype development and test
facilities available in the dedicated laboratory and EMC area, as well
as to enhance project team co-operative working styles. There is some
opportunity for business related travel, both in the UK and internationally.
Good career development opportunities are offered by a combination
of interesting project assignments for a wide variety of internationally
renowned clients, a formal appraisal and development process which focuses
on the individual's specific needs over both the short and medium term,
and a mature attitude to training which allows individuals to develop
appropriate expertise at their own pace and via a method that suits
their own personal learning style. Personal development is achieved
by a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training, focusing on
technical skills and knowledge as well as non-technical skills such
as foreign language training. Career progression is offered through
the many opportunities to broaden technical and commercial competence
by working on different client assignments with fellow engineers from
a broad range of other technical disciplines. Promotion opportunities
exist and Plextek is unique in permitting vertical progression on a
technological skill/expertise basis as well as a more traditional people/project/client
management basis.
In keeping with this approach the headline items of our remuneration and benefits package for permanent employees currently include a competitive salary, all-employee share plan, annual bonus, private medical insurance, life assurance, permanent health insurance, 25 days holiday, bank and public holidays and a non-contributory pension scheme. Relocation assistance is available where necessary. Being concerned with the working environment a full range of refreshments is available including fresh fruit, and the premises provides a dedicated dining area and the availability of a full range of snacks. A calendar of regular company-sponsored social events helps to ensure the appropriate balance between work and non-work activities is maintained.
SELECTION
PROCESS
Plextek's selection process is designed to establish your suitability
as well as giving you a thorough overview of the work we do and what
we have to offer new recruits. Any information you provide will be treated
in the strictest confidence and only be used by authorised staff in
order to assess your suitability for working with us. Throughout our
selection process we do encourage you to ask as many questions as possible.
Our normal process consists of the following:
First Meeting
- introduction and overview of the company, examples of our work,
career development, training and progression
- technical interview designed to establish your breadth and depth
of technical expertise. Because we are a technology consultancy this
interview is very much aimed at assessing your skills against our
minimum technical entry requirements.
Second Meeting
- interview with a Director/Senior Consultant and usually someone
outside of your immediate area of technical expertise. This is designed
to establish the breadth of areas across which your technical experience
can be applied, your level of commercial acumen, and how your skills
and experience would best fit into our organisation
- human resources interview designed to establish your suitability
for our environment and understand how you would fit in with our working
practices and the people we already employ
- explanation of our remuneration and benefits packages, understanding
of your expectations and any particular issues such as relocation.
This process can be condensed into one meeting should there be a good
reason to do so. However, our preference is to have two separate meetings
as the interview process can be quite intense and we want to give you
the best opportunity to display your abilities. At an appropriate stage
during the selection process we will usually give you the opportunity
to have a tour of the premises, giving a view of the working environment
including the dedicated laboratory, workshop and EMC testing areas.
We are also very happy to offer an initial exploratory telephone interview,
especially where you are located a long distance from our premises.
This can be arranged at a time to suit your convenience.
Our standard process suits all applicants irrespective of level of
seniority and experience. Our interviewers are experienced at dealing
with applicants at all levels and our questions are moderated accordingly.
At all stages of the selection process we endeavour to give feedback
on a timely basis, directly or via the agency for agency submitted applications.
MEET US
We regularly attend a variety of industry events which give you the
opportunity to come and talk to us in more detail. For further details
of the industry exhibitions we attend visit See
Us At.
We do organise Open Days at our premises to give potential applicants
the opportunity to come and meet us on an informal basis, and to find
out in more detail about the kind of work we do. Watch this space for
details of our next Open Day.
RECRUITMENT AGENCIES
Plextek recognises the difficulties associated with recruiting the
highest quality electronic engineers and is prepared to work with professional
recruitment agencies. For the benefit of agencies who have not worked
with us before we describe below our process for establishing an appropriate
professional relationship.
- 'new' agencies are strongly advised to read all relevant sections
of this website. We take seriously our duty to communicate clear information
about our organisation using this medium and have gone to a great
deal of trouble to arrive at the content which you see here (we do
recognise that we can always improve and would welcome suggestions
if there are other areas which are not covered about which you would
like further information)
- if you feel you operate in the appropriate sector and have candidates
who are likely to be suitable for our needs please submit their CV
by e-mail to: recruit@plextek.com.
Please note this is not a secure method for transmitting personal
data and if preferred you should send a hard copy by surface mail
to the address given at Contact Us. You should
also attach your standard terms and conditions so that we can agree
these in advance of meeting any candidates. Under the Data Protection
Act 1998 you should ensure that your candidate is aware you are sending
their details to us
- there is no particular need to telephone or send an e-mail in advance
of submitting candidate details. We are prepared to receive candidate
details 'cold'. However, we do ask that you only send CVs for candidates
whose experience is directly relevant to the positions we are currently
advertising. It is a waste of both your and our time to send speculative
CVs and we cannot guarantee to review and give feedback on such CVs
- all CVs received are logged and checked to see whether they have
been received before. For that reason we ask that a candidate's name
is provided - we will, of course, treat this information in the strictest
confidence. It is not in our interest to be unprofessional in our
dealings with agencies or our treatment of candidates
- we endeavour to give feedback on all CVs received. Where candidates
are inappropriate for our current needs or we have already received
their details this feedback will be given quickly. Where we are more
interested in a candidate feedback may take a little longer while
their technical suitability is assessed by the appropriate line director/manager
- if we wish to interview one of your candidates this will be in
accordance with the format shown under Selection
Process.
Students
Closing date for application has now passed.
CONTACT US
To apply please send your CV and a covering letter stating two referees
and current salary package to: Janice Nicoll, Human Resources Department,
Plextek Ltd, London Road, Great Chesterford, Essex CB10 1NY or alternatively
you can email us at recruit@plextek.com.
Human Resources Dept
Plextek Ltd
London Road
Great Chesterford
Essex, CB10 1NY
All information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence
and only be reviewed by authorised Plextek staff for the purpose of
assessing your suitability for working with us.
