Product Development Engineer – Electronics, Prototyping & AI

Initial paid project, with potential for a permanent full-time role

Love making things work? Comfortable with a 3D printer, electronics, code and AI tools? Want to help turn new product ideas into something people love using?

We’re looking for a practical, ambitious engineer to join Energym and work directly with our founder on new connected hardware products across fitness, wearables and smart technology. You’ll have real responsibility, room to contribute your own ideas and the opportunity to take projects from early concept through working prototypes towards production.

We want to build products that deserve to exist -  across connected technology, wearables, fitness and clean energy. Products that help people understand their bodies, live better and justify the resources used to make them. AI helps our small, agile team take on bigger ideas, build faster and help shape that future for the better.

You’ll be:

• Designing, building and testing prototypes that combine mechanical parts, electronics and software.
• Thinking through how people actually use a product - its ergonomics, controls, interface and everyday experience.
• Using 3D printing and suitable design tools to develop enclosures, mechanisms and test rigs.
• Helping keep our prototyping lab organised and working efficiently: setting up and maintaining 3D printers, electronics benches and test rigs, organising components and prototypes, and automating tasks to help the team build and test faster.
• Working with sensors, microcontrollers, Bluetooth/BLE connectivity and power systems.
• Assembling and testing electronics, helping develop and debug circuits and PCBs, and writing and adapting code and firmware.
• Helping prototype connected app experiences, considering everything from pairing and setup to clear, intuitive controls.
• Researching existing products, listening to users and spotting unmet needs, frustrations and opportunities to make things better.
• Selecting components and liaising with factories, suppliers and engineers, with an eye on cost, quality and practicality.
• Supporting quality assurance: testing prototypes and samples, documenting faults and checking that fixes work.
• Using AI extensively as a practical tool to research, develop, troubleshoot and work faster and more efficiently.
• Taking ownership of agreed milestones, coordinating actions and suppliers, testing ideas quickly and delivering reliable results on time.

• You are passionate about building products. You enjoy tinkering, experimenting and turning ideas into working things. Personal projects, home engineering, university work and hobby builds all count.
• You take ownership and works well with direction. You take initiative and follow things through, while working closely with the founder on priorities and decisions. You listen, ask questions, respond positively to feedback and adapt quickly when the direction changes.
• You've a solid practical understanding of electronics. You understand how components, circuits and PCBs work together, can follow a schematic and take a logical approach to testing and finding faults. You don’t need to be an expert in every area, but you should have a sound foundation to build on.
• Understands what makes a great product. You’re curious about people, notice awkward details and think carefully about how something should look, feel and work. You can explain why people love certain products and bring that thinking into your own designs.
• Is positive, organised, reliable and professional. You take ownership, keep clear records, communicate well, flag problems early and respond constructively to feedback.
• Is already proficient with AI and highly IT literate. You confidently use digital tools to get useful work done, learn new software quickly and can show how AI has helped you build or solve something. You keep up with emerging AI tools and engineering technologies, try them out and put useful advances into practice - helping us build better products, faster.
• Is excited about where technology is going. You’re interested in fitness, connected products and emerging tools, and want to help turn new possibilities into useful products that make a positive difference.
• Works hard, works smart and moves with urgency. You bring focus, energy and a strong work ethic. You put in the effort to see things through, find efficient ways forward and want to make visible progress. You move quickly, but check your work, maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Has commercial awareness. You appreciate the relationship between customer value, features, cost and development time. We’ll support budgets and commercial decisions; you bring practical judgement about where effort and money are best spent.
• Thinks logically and solves problems resourcefully. You learn quickly, ask useful questions, investigate, try sensible alternatives and keep moving.

Alongside practical electronics skills, some coding experience is important; light firmware experience is welcome. Experience with Bluetooth/BLE or app prototyping would be useful. CAD experience is helpful, but not essential.

We love AI, but “ChatGPT said it would work” isn’t a test result. Bring solid engineering fundamentals, use the latest tools to move faster, and make sure what you build actually works. We want someone who understands their decisions, tests their ideas and keeps exploring better ways to develop products. Used well, AI can give you superpowers - helping you learn faster, explore more ideas and build things you previously couldn’t. That’s what we’re excited about. AI slop, less so...

You don’t need to have launched or sold a product before. You do need curiosity, initiative and evidence that you enjoy making things. Your attitude, practical ability and open-minded approach to solving problems matter most.

Why join us?

This is a varied, hands-on opportunity in a small but growing tech business. You may also support related engineering, testing, quality, supplier coordination and practical operational tasks suited to your skills, with scope and priorities agreed clearly.

We’ll start with an agreed paid development project, with the scope, timescale and payment terms confirmed before work begins. If the collaboration works well and business needs support it, there may be an opportunity to join Energym in a permanent full-time role.

In return, you’ll get hands-on involvement in new products, a short route from idea to decision and the chance to see your work become something tangible, quickly.

• Innovate for Impact - Build product experiences that blend software + hardware + sustainability
• Grow With Us - Be a core part of a rapidly expanding startup with big ambitions.
• Hands-On Experience - Work with cutting-edge hardware, software, and IoT solutions.
• Make a Difference - Your work contributes to a greener planet and smarter workouts.
• Free on-site parking 
• Early finishes on Friday 
• Cycle studio & mini-gym on-site (lunchtime workouts nailed...). 

To apply: send your CV or a short introduction alongside 2 or 3 previous projects. Photos, videos, prototypes, CAD, code or a portfolio are all welcome - including things you’ve built at home. Briefly explain what you personally did, a problem you solved and what you learnt. We’d also love to hear about a favourite product or a recent discovery - what you love about it and why. Please also include an example of how you’ve used AI to improve or accelerate your work.