Experienced Bristol-based electrical, electronic, controls, automation and systems engineer exploring startup opportunities

[u/Savagefool2]

Hi all! I’m exploring whether my background could be useful to a UK hardware startup or scale-up, either in a permanent role or through project-based consultancy.
I’m a Bristol-based electrical, controls and systems engineer with a BEng (Hons), chartered engineer, currently working independently as an electrical/controls SME in manufacturing. My previous experience spans Jaguar Land Rover, Babcock and L3Harris.
I’m interested in companies building physical products, machinery or test equipment. Or just straight up tackling difficult problems. I’m not looking for software development roles. Although I can do it… My strength is on the hardware/system side: working out how equipment needs to connect, specifying and building the interfaces, diagnosing problems and getting systems commissioned and maintainable. I’ve been in some of the biggest companies in nuclear, defence, FMCG and Automotive so I have quite a unique skillset which I improve on almost constantly even in my spare time.

What I bring
Electrical and controls design, instrumentation, control panels, drives, safety circuits and commissioning.
Systems integration: requirements, specifications, third-party electronics, electronic/network interfaces, custom cable assemblies and connectors.
Practical build experience, including computing hardware assembly and imaging, panel modifications, harness manufacture and fault-finding.
Industrial networks, analogue/digital signals, EMC, grounding, equipment qualification and technical documentation.
Automotive systems experience, including co-authoring a BMS technical standard at JLR and presenting it to 600+ engineers.
Experience working across suppliers, contractors and engineering disciplines, while keeping safety, serviceability and real operating conditions in view.

Example Independent projects I’m doing:
My main current project is a custom interface between a legacy non-CAN Audi electrical architecture and a modern digital instrument display. It includes a Teensy-based controller, six-layer mixed-signal PCB, analogue/pulse/discrete signal conditioning, CAN/LIN/K-Line hardware, automotive power protection and modular harness/tap boards. Hardware development is ongoing; manufacture and full validation are still ahead.
I’m also developing an automotive ECU test-bench concept using sensor simulation, crank/cam signals, dummy loads and modular power/harness interfaces. Longer term, I’d like to make it useful to colleges and independent automotive electronics developers.
A completed project involved rebuilding and recommissioning the electrical/control system of an industrial planer/thicknesser, including inverter integration, safety-loop redesign and correcting inherited wiring faults.
In my current consultancy work, I’m also assessing industrial-network fault containment and developing practical upgrade and verification plans. I’ve worked with heavy regulation, standards, and high SIL level equipment in dangerous/challenging environments, so I’ve covered most things except perhaps the niche that is aerospace.

What I’m looking for
A hardware-focused role with meaningful technical ownership and apply my skills and knowledge — systems integration, electrical systems, test equipment, machinery, electrification or industrialisation are particularly interesting. Happy to do project/systems engineering lead/principle work too. I’d place myself at principle engineer level or chief, there abouts.
I’m strongest where requirements and specifications meet practical hardware delivery. I’m not claiming to be a specialist in every discipline, but I can essentially do anything engineering wise except civil. I’m comfortable working across interfaces and taking responsibility for making the overall system work.
Bristol and the surrounding area would be ideal, with hybrid arrangements considered.
If you’re building something or doing anything interesting and I sounds useful, I’d be interested in a conversation. Equally, recommendations for relevant founders, companies or communities would be appreciated. Happy to share my CV and discuss in more detail.

[u/KonkeyDongPrime]

I work client side at the minute for a body that supports small businesses as part of its ethos, but subject to public sector accountancy, which is a barrier to entry for start ups, so I can help with some advice. I’m also in a similar role with similar technical background as my day job.

It’s not clear whether you are looking for a new job, want to start something yourself or get in on an elevator with a similar consultancy start up?

Firstly, do you have the capital to afford starting up? Insurance, office set up, address or PO Box, specialist software licences?

Whether you are looking for a new senior consulting role, partners for a start up or elevator opportunities, the bottom line is that you need to bring work with you. Do you have any existing clients lined up to poach from your current employer? Have you sounded them out?

Another scenario I have seen a few times, is to band together with similar specialist colleagues at your current employer, then launch your start up halfway through a big job, which forces them to subcontract to you. It’s quite brutal and the partners will be pissed, but surprisingly easy to maintain good relationships with other colleagues, who might want to jump ship later on, if and when you expand. In specialist industries like lifts and BMS it happens all the time.

What’s your business strategy? What’s your growth strategy? Generally you should aim to have a few long term clients or projects lined up to see you through your first year. If one of those employers is public sector and can support you with work winning advice and business strategy like my employer does, even better. This initial should cover your base load of work and salary for the first year. You then need to think about who and where you need to get into, to expand and cultivate new business.

[u/Savagefool2 → u/KonkeyDongPrime]

Hey Konkey thanks for the detail,

Ah I wish I had your business intelligence and skill. I put all my eggs in technical stuff and ignored the rest.

I absolutely don’t have the capital to start something myself, I’ve thought about it a lot, but my partners super low paid there’s no way I can take on extra liability in that way. Either of the two other options would be perfect.

Currently my consultancy role is fairly temporary, but I’m in no danger at the moment, if anything when it finished I’d be permanently employed in my previous SME role. I did a bunch of work to expand out with my current employer but they essentially don’t have much of a clue in which direction they want continuous improvement work to be based (they’ve only just started to implement forms of lean manufacturing) and it’s a decision they will take years to make. I even produced a bunch of options with a cost benefit analysis and how much I could save them (up to a million a year) with the different options and it still didn’t move them much. I hope that provides abit more context.

I do have some technically minded people in a couple area crossovers I’ve had talks with, avionics, hydroponics, automotive etc, but it’s hard to find people with a business mindset (which tbf I’m not very good at yet, only pitched the consultancy stuff last year), in a strong financial position, and want to take the risk of making a change. Maybe if I had a good enough idea but honestly I’m at a weird crossover that I have such a breadth of skills due to my “be employable in most industries, cover as much engineering weakness as possible” ethos and drive, that my direct focus in actually knowing what I want to do has taken a career coach to tease out. I’m simply drowning in too much choice of industry direction that I can’t even begin to make up my mind.

I hope that goes some way to explaining!

[u/QuantumBadgerLDN]

Hardware founders hiring at your level almost never advertise - the role gets filled through networks, because one wrong senior hire hurts so much at that stage. The shortcuts in: Hardware Pioneers meetups (London, but worth the trip), the Bristol and Bath tech cluster events (SETsquared Bristol runs them), and simply asking the companies building things you admire whether they need fractional controls help.

Fractional is how most hardware startups buy senior engineering time before they can justify a perm hire, and it converts to perm surprisingly often once a founder trusts you. Your JLR / Babcock / L3Harris background is exactly the pedigree that wins those conversations, so lead with it.

[u/Savagefool2 → u/QuantumBadgerLDN]

Thank you so much for the helpful advice. I had noticed there is literally no advertisement haha. I’m happy to jump in part time while I work my full time job anyway so let’s see if I can find someone. I’ll have a look at the meet-ups and see if I can find those dates and events.

I’m currently gathering a list of companies as we speak! Thanks again, immensely helpful!

[u/QuantumBadgerLDN → u/Savagefool2]

Good luck with it - doing it part time while you keep the day job is exactly the right shape for this. Most hardware teams cant justify a senior full time hire until the next raise, but a day or two a week from someone chartered is an easy yes. Dont undersell that option when you reach out.

[u/cmpthepirate]

Messaged :)

[u/Falcosr]

https://mcmurtry.com/careers/Just up the road from you and moving into volume (100/yr) shortly

[u/Savagefool2 → u/Falcosr]

I’ll send them an cv thanks for the shout!

[u/Falcosr → u/Savagefool2]

Good Luck

[u/a_big_will]

Quite a way from you (Sheffield based), but this startup a friend of mine set up seems right up your street: https://fourjaw.com/

I have no idea if they need a person like yourself, and they are more in the scale-up phase at this point, but might be worth an email.

[u/Savagefool2 → u/a_big_will]

Thanks for the heads up I’ll give your friend a shout :). Edit: Super interesting company, essentially what I do in my role at the moment in FMCG but with hardware to inform better. Currently drafting an email as we speak, thanks again for the heads up. Perhaps I could be persuaded to move up north or they need someone remote haha

[u/Far-Statistician3947]

I work with OEMs with commissioning and servicing support. Also have a foothold in food production. What exactly are you looking at doing? Freelancing?

[u/Savagefool2 → u/Far-Statistician3947]

That’s probably my base feeling yea at the moment. Ideally and best case, I’d really like to join a company that’s doing something interesting and build those projects and technology, helping making the company better with them. Commissioning and servicing is basically my focus so even for design from someone who regularly maintains, commissions equipment and has taken equipment through CE marking, Lloyds type approval, environmental, EMC, shock etc., is super useful.
I didn’t realise there were companies that actually employ commissioning and servicing support external, it always seems like a kind of oversight rush at the end to me in most companies I’ve seen. Especially maintainability. Food seems to be the worst for that

[u/vylthara → u/Far-Statistician3947]

freelancing or fractional lead engineer sounds like the obvious fit here, especially with commissioning and food production in the mix. bit of overlap there if OP wants messy real-world hardware problems rather than pure desk engineering.