Head of Electrical

Caudwell Marine is a pioneering UK marine engineering company, backed by entrepreneur and philanthropist John Caudwell. We are redefining marine propulsion through the development of a diesel outboard system built for uncompromising performance, reliability and control in all conditions, with a global product launch planned for 2026. As a growing and ambitious business, we are focused on delivering cutting‑edge technology designed for the toughest marine environments and turning innovation into real‑world impact.

At Caudwell Marine, every team member plays an important role in shaping the future of the company. Our approach is built around being confident, committed and consistent in everything we do. Driven by endurance and powered by people, we are building a team that sets high standards and is helping redefine the future of marine propulsion.

Role & Responsibilities

To lead the department responsible for the electrical and electronic architecture, embedded software, controls, connectivity, diagnostics and telematics capability across Caudwell Marine products, ensuring safe, reliable, secure and maintainable system behaviour in demanding marine environments.

Responsibilities include:

• Own the electrical, electronic, software, connectivity and telematics engineering strategy for products and platforms across the full lifecycle.
• Lead electrical architecture, wiring systems, power distribution, sensors, actuators, ECUs, displays, controls, diagnostics, embedded software and connected product features.
• Define requirements, interfaces and design standards for electrical hardware, software, networks, communications protocols, diagnostics, cybersecurity, data logging and over-the-air or service update strategies where applicable.
• Ensure hardware and software designs are developed through appropriate requirements of management, architecture definition, design review, coding standards, version control, integration testing and release governance.
• Work closely with Development, Test & Validation to ensure electrical and software verification is planned, executed and evidenced at unit, subsystem, system, vessel and field levels.
• Lead investigation and resolution of electrical, electronic, software, controls, connectivity and data-related issues across development, production and in-service phases.
• Support compliance with relevant marine, electrical, EMC, safety, environmental, radio, software and data requirements applicable to the product portfolio.
• Manage supplier and partner technical delivery for ECUs, displays, harnesses, sensors, telematics platforms, cloud/data services and specialist software or electronics work packages.
• Ensure product connectivity and telematics capability creates value for customers, service teams, reliability improvement and future product development.

Required Skills

Leadership responsibilities

• Build and lead a multidisciplinary electrical, software and connected‑systems department with clear technical ownership and delivery accountability.
• Establish disciplined requirements, architecture, integration, configuration, version‑control, release and change‑management practices.
• Promote robust systems engineering, safe software practices, cybersecurity awareness and maintainable technical documentation.
• Develop team capability across embedded systems, controls, diagnostics, marine electrical integration, connectivity and data analytics.
• Facilitate effective trade‑off decisions between functionality, safety, reliability, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, and customer experience.

Key interfaces

• Engineering Director and programme leadership team.
• Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, Service, Customer Support, Product Management and Commercial teams.
• Electronic hardware suppliers, software partners, telematics/cloud providers, certification bodies and customer technical representatives.

Core competencies

• Electrical and electronic systems architecture.
• Embedded software, controls and diagnostics leadership.
• Connectivity, telematics, data and secure connected‑product thinking.
• Requirements management, integration, configuration and release governance.
• Supplier technical management and cross‑functional systems integration.

Personal Attributes

• Consistent, confident, and committed approach to work.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence across all levels of the organisation
• Highly committed to safety, quality, and operational excellence
• Strategic thinker with strong attention to detail and execution focus
• Calm and effective under pressure, particularly in scaling or high‑demand environments
• Proactive, solution‑oriented, and continuously improvement driven
• Strong communicator and collaborator across cross‑functional teams
• Hands‑on, practical leadership style with strong site engagement

Experience and Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in electrical, electronic, software, control systems, mechatronics, automotive, marine or related engineering discipline.
• Significant experience leading electrical/electronic, embedded software, controls or connected product engineering teams for complex products.
• Strong knowledge of requirements‑led electrical/software development, system architecture, integration testing, diagnostics, configuration management and release control.
• Experience with embedded systems, CAN or similar vehicle/marine networks, wiring systems, sensors, actuators, ECUs, displays, data logging, telematics or IoT platforms.
• Familiarity with EMC, electrical safety, functional safety principles, cybersecurity, software quality and marine regulatory environments is desirable.

Success measures

• Electrical, software and connected‑system designs are safe, reliable, maintainable and aligned to product requirements.
• Software, hardware and system releases are controlled, traceable and delivered in line with programme needs.
• Integration issues are found early and resolved with clear ownership and evidence.
• Connected product and telematics capability supports service, reliability, customer insight and future product strategy.
• The department builds scalable methods and capability for increasingly software‑defined and connected marine products.

Disclaimer

Caudwell Marine operates a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for recruitment agencies, which is currently not under review. Agencies not on our PSL are kindly requested to refrain from submitting speculative CVs or contacting our hiring managers or employees directly regarding recruitment matters.

Please note that any CVs submitted by non‑PSL agencies, whether speculative or otherwise, will be treated as unsolicited.