Development and Test Engineer Full Time NEW

About Munro Vehicles 

Munro Vehicles is Scotland’s only volume car manufacturer — the first since the Linwood Talbot factory closed in 1981. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in East Kilbride, Glasgow, Munro designs and builds the Series-M: a fully electric, heavy-duty 4×4 platform targeting the construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, defence, and emergency response sectors. 

The Series-M is offered in M170 (170 kW) and M280 (280 kW) variants, both riding on Munro’s proprietary body-on-frame ladder chassis (5 mm steel), fitted with coil-sprung live axles, an 85 kWh LFP battery pack, and 130 kW DC rapid charging. The vehicle is engineered for a 50-year service life through modularity, repairability, and the use of Tier-1 truck/bus-sector components. Over 80% of suppliers are UK-based. 

The Role 

The Development Engineer will sit at the heart of Munro’s vehicle development programme, taking hands-on ownership of systems across the Series-M platform. This is a generalist engineering role in a lean startup team: you will carry significant individual responsibility and will move between detailed design, prototype build, testing, and validation within a single sprint cycle. 

This is not a desk-only role. You will be expected to physically build, rig, instrument, and drive test vehicles in off-road and on-road conditions. The work is direct, tangible, and consequential. 

Key Responsibilities 

Vehicle Systems Development 

• Design, develop, and refine mechanical and electromechanical systems across the Series-M platform, including chassis, suspension, drivetrain, body-in-white, and ancillary systems. 
• Translate customer and field-trial feedback into engineering changes, using a structured change-management process. 
• Produce and maintain engineering drawings, GD&T specifications, and 3D CAD models to production release standard. 
• Support chassis, body, and powertrain integration — including mechanical interfaces with the 85 kWh LFP battery pack, electric motors, and high-voltage systems. 

Prototype Build & Testing 

• Build and assemble prototype and pre-production vehicles at the East Kilbride facility alongside the manufacturing team. 
• Design and execute structured test plans: off-road durability, wading, thermal, NVH, and on-road performance. 
• Instrument vehicles for data acquisition, analyse results, and produce clear engineering reports with actionable findings. 
• Support homologation and type-approval activities in accordance with UK/EU vehicle regulations. 

Supplier & Component Engineering 

• Work with the supply chain team to specify, qualify, and validate components from Tier-1 OEM suppliers (predominantly UK-based, with truck/bus sector pedigree). 
• Review supplier DFMEAs and DVP&Rs; raise and track engineering concerns to closure. 
• Evaluate alternative components during design iterations, documenting trade-off decisions with supporting data. 

Cross-functional Collaboration 

• Work closely with the other engineering and manufacturing team to ensure design-for-manufacture and design-for-serviceability requirements are met. 
• Support customer-specific upfit and configuration projects (mining, defence, emergency response) by providing engineering input at the specification and integration stages. 
• Contribute to internal technical documentation, BOM management, and engineering change requests (ECRs). 

Required Skills & Experience 

Essential 

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or closely related discipline (BEng minimum; MEng/MSc preferred). 
• Demonstrable hands-on experience in vehicle or off-highway equipment development — prototype build, test, and validation. 
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks or equivalent) and 2D engineering drawing to BS 8888 / ISO standard. 
• Sound understanding of vehicle dynamics, structural analysis, and chassis/suspension systems. 
• Experience writing and executing test plans; comfortable using data acquisition equipment and interpreting results. 
• Ability to work independently in a small team with minimal process overhead — self-directed, outcome-focused. 
• Full UK driving licence; willing to drive test vehicles in demanding off-road conditions. 

Desirable 

• Experience with electric or hybrid powertrains — HV architecture, battery systems, e-motor integration, or BMS interaction. 
• Familiarity with UK/EU type approval processes (WVTA, NSSTA, or IVA). 
• Experience in sectors aligned with Munro’s end markets: mining, construction, agriculture, defence, or emergency response vehicles. 
• FMEA, DVP&R, or APQP process experience. 
• Knowledge of body-on-frame architectures and aluminium/steel composite body structures. 
• UK SC Security Clearance (or eligibility to obtain it), relevant to Munro’s defence and government customers. 

Personal Attributes 

• Practical, build-it-and-test-it mindset — comfortable getting hands dirty on the build floor as well as producing rigorous technical documentation. 
• High tolerance for ambiguity and the iterative pace of a scaling startup. 
• Strong communication skills: able to present technical findings clearly to non-engineering stakeholders. 
• Commitment to Munro’s mission of decarbonising heavy-duty off-road fleets. 
• Collaborative but confident enough to flag engineering concerns early and clearly. 

Why Join Munro Vehicles 

Munro is at a pivotal moment: first vehicles are in customer hands, an order book of over £17 million is being executed, and a production ramp to 2,500 units per year is underway. The engineering team is small by design — every engineer has direct, measurable impact on the product. 

• You will work on a genuinely novel vehicle platform, in a company that has already achieved something most startups never do: delivering production vehicles to paying customers. Scotland’s automotive revival is a real story, and you would be part of it.