About Sperry:

Sperry Rail is on a mission-critical journey to revolutionize the Rail Flaw Detection industry. Through the continuous development of cutting-edge diagnostic technologies and AI-assisted analysis, we are transforming railway safety worldwide. Our global engineering teams work collaboratively to develop step-change technologies that define Sperry as the unparalleled market leader.

For nearly a century, we have repeatedly modernized and improved rail diagnostics through our relentless pursuit of improvement. Determined is an understatement. We are obsessed with advancing science and raising the bar on what’s possible with our ever-improving suite of products and service offerings.

Emboldened through the shared values of honesty, accountability, passion, integrity, and teamwork, we are driven by the challenge and bridging concepts with fruition. Each technologist entering Sperry imprints themselves into our brand and further galvanizes a culture of innovation and advancement. Allow us to be clear, Thought Leaders are welcome!

We are agile and hungry and invite those with similar passions to join us in challenging the status quo and bringing new ideas to the market. Fast-paced, high-touch with a distinct sense of purpose. We offer more than a job; we offer an opportunity to be part of something different.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and highly capable Senior Electronics Engineer to support the continued development, enhancement and deployment of a complex rail inspection system used to detect surface defects in railway rails using eddy current technology.

The successful candidate will play a key role in the design, analysis, testing and ongoing support of a sophisticated electronic measurement system used to identify rolling contact fatigue (RCF) defects, including head checking, squats and other rail surface anomalies. The role combines electronics engineering, signal processing, software development and data analysis.

This is a varied and technically challenging position requiring strong analytical skills, practical engineering capability and a willingness to engage directly with systems in the field. The role will involve both office/laboratory-based development and hands-on support activities, including commissioning, troubleshooting and fault investigation on customer sites in the UK and internationally.

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in the ongoing development and technical support of advanced eddy current rail inspection systems for the detection of rail surface defects.
• Develop and refine approaches to improve defect detection capability, reliability and system performance.
• Analyse large and complex datasets to evaluate system behavior, validate performance and investigate anomalies.
• Develop and maintain software tools and applications, primarily in C#, for system control, data acquisition, analysis and reporting.
• Contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of software developed in LabVIEW (desirable).
• Design, analyse, test and fault-find analogue and digital electronic circuits used within sensing, acquisition and processing systems.
• Support the commissioning, calibration and integration of systems in operational railway environments.
• Conduct fault investigation and root cause analysis for system issues identified during testing or operational deployment.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary engineering teams, customers and external stakeholders to deliver robust technical solutions.
• Produce technical documentation, reports and engineering records to support product development and operational deployment.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives relating to system reliability, maintainability and performance.

Person Specification

Essential Skills and Experience

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Electronic Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Signal Processing, Computer Engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong mathematical foundation with the ability to apply analytical techniques to complex engineering problems.
• Significant experience in the design, analysis, testing and fault diagnosis of electronic circuits.
• Demonstrable experience in signal processing and measurement systems, ideally involving sensor-based systems or non-destructive testing.
• Proficiency in C# software development.
• Strong data analysis skills with experience handling large datasets and extracting meaningful engineering insight.
• Practical problem-solving ability and a systematic approach to fault finding.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively both independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Willingness to travel within the UK and internationally for system commissioning, technical investigations and customer support.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience with LabVIEW development and maintenance.
• Knowledge of eddy current inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT), electromagnetic sensing or rail condition monitoring systems.
• Experience working in the rail industry or other safety-critical engineering sectors.
• Familiarity with digital signal processing (DSP), filtering, spectral analysis and/or statistical techniques.
• Experience of embedded systems, data acquisition hardware or instrumentation systems.
• Understanding of railway operations, track systems or rolling stock environments.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on innovative technology that improves railway safety and infrastructure reliability.
• A technically challenging and varied role combining electronics, software, signal processing and field engineering.
• Opportunities for professional development and involvement in cutting-edge rail inspection technology.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.