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R&D Manager - Heat Pumps

Octopus Energy· Octopus Centre for Heating Technology
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Portadown, Northern IrelandFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Senior, hands-on R&D leadership role leading the team developing next-generation heat pump technology. Owns the full development process from design to productionisation, sets technical direction, and collaborates with product, commercial and manufacturing teams.

Responsibilities

  • Lead a team of engineers and technicians working on air source heat pumps and associated components across the full development lifecycle.
  • Define and maintain the technical roadmap for heat pump R&D, balancing short-term delivery with longer-term product strategy.
  • Work closely with the platform, firmware, and design teams to ensure hardware development is integrated with wider product and system decisions.
  • Oversee the design, testing, and validation of heat pump hardware, including refrigeration circuits, controls, heat exchangers, and system integration.
  • Lead component selection across the product, evaluating and qualifying parts with suppliers for performance, cost, and reliability.
  • Manage the lab and field testing programme, using real-world installation data to inform product decisions.
  • Lead compliance testing to relevant standards (MCS, CE/UKCA, EN 14511, F-Gas, ErP, etc.) and manage relationships with test houses and certification bodies.
  • Specify, commission, and maintain test rigs and laboratory facilities to support development and validation.
  • Monitor residential heat pump market trends and emerging technologies to inform product direction and opportunities.
  • Identify and manage technical risk throughout development to keep projects on schedule in a fast-paced environment.
  • Support the professional development of engineers and technicians within the team.

Qualifications

  • A graduate or postgraduate qualification in engineering (mechanical, electrical, or closely related).
  • Proven experience managing an engineering team, including project delivery, workload planning, and team development.
  • Substantial experience in heat pump, HVAC, or refrigeration product development with strong thermodynamics knowledge.
  • Track record of taking hardware products from concept through to market.
  • Strong systems-level thinking across mechanical, electrical, controls, and software domains.
  • Experience in fast-paced development environments with ability to manage competing priorities and maintain delivery momentum.
  • Clear and effective communication skills for presenting technical information to non-technical audiences.

Skills

Required:Engineering team leadershipHeat pump / HVAC / refrigeration product developmentHardware-to-market delivery
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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