Mechanical Engineer Full Time

An introduction to LettUs Grow

LettUs Grow is a fast-paced and environmentally conscious organisation based in the heart of Bristol. We design technology for indoor farms with the mission to reduce the waste and carbon footprint of fresh produce by enabling anyone, anywhere, to grow nutritious produce near its point of consumption.

We’ve developed innovative hardware and software solutions that combine efficient aeroponic technology with data collection, automation and operational insights for the farmers and growers of the future. We are scaling quickly to meet the growing demand for this trailblazing technology.

With a team of open, caring and ambitious peers, working in a technically-challenging and impact-driven industry, this is somewhere to really make your mark on society and help feed the next generation.

An introduction to the role:

Currently in the UK, biomass is used as a renewable energy source. The government sets targets for biomass energy generation but we do not currently produce enough biomass to reach these targets. This leads the UK to buy biomass materials from abroad, which is expensive and has a high carbon cost.

LettUs Grow is collaborating with the University of Surrey to demonstrate that aeroponic technology is a commercially competitive method for rapidly and successfully cultivating the crop Willow, which can be used for biomass energy generation. This role is part of a grant funded by the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy under the Biomass Feedstock Innovation Programme.

LettUs Grow is a partner contracted to design, build and deliver a commercially scalable greenhouse system for a large willow propagation crop. We are looking for a Mechanical Engineer with experience in horticulture and/ or agriculture to design and build this system. The contract is for 16 months and it will commence immediately.

As a Mechanical Engineer at LettUs Grow, you will be a crucial member of our R&D team, reporting to the Head of R&D. This role is ideal for an organised, proactive, positive and reliable mechanical engineer who is keen to work with an impact-led organisation.

This role will require a degree of travel for work. You will be expected to work on site during installations and will be required to work away from home, within the UK, for periods of weeks at a time. This role will also require you to work in a small team of one or two people and liaise with the wider grant team that is spread across the UK.

We look forward to welcoming you to our diverse team of horticulturists, growers, engineers, marketeers and operational experts, to design and build the next generation of indoor farming technology together.

Salary band:

£35,000 – £50,000 dependent upon experience alongside a benefits package designed to foster your personal and professional development.

Application deadline:

February 5th, 2023

Role responsibilities:

• Conduct the mechanical engineering design of large scale engineering systems for growing crops over the entire cradle to cradle lifecycle, including:
  • Concept generation, detailed design in 3D CAD (Solidworks), building and testing prototypes for parts of and whole large scale crop systems.
  • Fast paced, methodical fault finding and problem solving.
  • Design for manufacture & production systems including producing detailed design packs and drawings, developing product QA processes and sourcing, managing and maintaining supplier relationships.
  • Conducting product testing and support design certification (CE & UKCA) including end of life planning.
  • Conducting maintenance, service design and ongoing reviews of product performance in operation.
• Manage your own mechanical systems projects:
  • Developing project plans for LettUs Grow’s contribution to the grant.
  • Understanding, tracking and reporting project timelines and costs.
  • Communicating and documenting project progress, technical achievements and challenges in a timely manner and to a high standard, both internally and externally.

Who are you?

• You’re an organised engineer with a passion for making engineering systems the most sustainable and efficient they can be.
• With your experience in horticulture and/or agriculture, you’re passionate about our food system. You care about the world around you.
• You’re an autonomous self starter and you’re strongly motivated to solve problems independently.
• You’re excited by the opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the role, from hands-on tasks in the workshop and farm to desk based design work.
• At LettUs Grow we encourage asking questions. Employees may come to see what you’re working on and they may not have a technical background. You enjoy educating others and you always do so with patience and understanding.
• You can be methodical and meticulous when needed.
• You’re an open, honest and helpful person. You treat people with respect.
• You’re an active listener and enjoy working with people from all walks of life.
• You’re driven, enthusiastic and give 100% to anything that comes your way.

What you need:

• Degree in mechanical engineering and/or equivalent experience in an engineering environment.
• 3+ years professional experience working in an engineering setting.
• Experience in horticultural or agricultural engineering.
• Experience managing an outsourced manufacturing partner.
• A solid grasp of mechanical systems design.

• Experience working practically, either in a professional or personal capacity.

• Proficiency using 3D CAD software (Solidworks preferred).
• Excellent technical communication skills both written and verbal.
• Experience in procurement, finding suppliers and managing supplier relationships.

Also desirable:

• Experience designing irrigation systems.

About LettUs Grow

The position is full-time (37.5 hours per week), based in central Bristol with the opportunity for occasional remote working. The contract will last for 16 months, ending in March 2024.

LettUs Grow Ltd is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Living Wage Employer. We encourage individuals from all walks of life to apply for our positions. At LettUs Grow we celebrate our differences and embrace what makes every human being unique.

Do you have any special requirements during the recruitment process? Just let us know. We’ll do our best to remove any barriers preventing you from applying for our opportunities!

Life at LettUs Grow

Everything we do is impact-driven. We want to make a substantial positive change, not just through our products, but also in how we operate as a team. We are ambitious, responsible and caring, and bring these core-values into everything we do. This is clear in the way we approach challenges: we’re ambitious enough to run into a fair few, responsible enough to address them with innovative solutions and caring in our approach to solving them as a team, for the good of our planet and all the people that inhabit it.

You will be working from our open office where hotdesking is encouraged, within our world-class horticultural research facility and/or in our engineering workshops and production areas.

At LettUs Grow we offer:

• Flexible, remote working and work from anywhere policies. Whether your child’s ill, you’re waiting for a package or you have some deep-focussed work to do, we all need some time away from the office.
• 25 days holiday a year (pro rata, plus UK public holidays), and we encourage you to use them all up! If you don’t, you can carry some over into next year.
• 20 day sick pay.
• Pension contribution.
• A dog friendly office.
• The day off for your birthday.
• Socials, biannual company parties (always with a community focus) and an annual company volunteer day.
• Enhanced parental leave.
• A subscription to Heka with access to gym memberships, music lessons, language classes and so much more.
• Training and professional development: training courses, resources and conferences that help you learn and grow in your role and for your future.
• Cycle to work scheme and an office bike repair station. Everything you need to keep you on the road from tools and parts to spare lights and a lock.
• A team of ambitious, open and impact-driven employees who are passionate about fostering an inclusive working environment.
• An open-plan office environment and cutting edge research facility complete with skill-sharing workshops and monthly potluck lunches dubbed, “LettUs Lunch.”
• The best coffee in town. We keep our team well fuelled with top notch coffee from a local supplier. Coffee, tea, oat milk, breakfast and organic fruit are on the house!

To apply please follow this link: https://lettusgrow.bamboohr.com/careers/47?source=indoorfarmingjobs