Industrial Placement – Test & Development

YASA Test and Development Industrial Placement Programme, Oxford.

The Company

YASA, a Mercedes Benz group company, is leading the way in the Electric Motor Revolution. Our motors are more powerful, lighter, and smaller than the current technology used in competitor Electric Vehicles.

YASA manufactures a range of electric motors and controllers based on our unique motor topology at our factory and company headquarters in Oxfordshire. YASA was founded in 2009 on the belief that small, powerful, and efficient electric motors would play an increasingly important role in meeting the strict emissions targets being set by policymakers globally by enabling new, more efficient, and sustainable means of transportation.

In 2018, YASA officially opened its 100,000 unit per annum e-motor and controller serial production facility in Kidlington near Oxford, UK. YASA became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz in 2021, providing electric motors for Mercedes-Benz’s AMG.EA electric-only platform, while acting as an innovation partner pioneering new electric drive technology for the wider Group.

Industrial Placement Programme

If you’re a University student looking for a placement year, this is a great opportunity to gain real-world experience in a fast-paced environment that’s focused on training and development. YASA has been running a successful placement programme since 2011, with 70% of our placement students becoming full-time employees post-graduation.

In your placement programme, you’ll be joining our Test & Validation team, focused on maintaining the quality of our products, as well as gaining exposure to other disciplines at YASA. You’ll be working on both short and long-term projects, getting the opportunity to work closely with the existing team, as well as taking responsibility for your own projects. Our team is focused on mentoring, giving you a chance to take your theoretical academic learning and apply this to practical scenarios and real-life problems. You’ll come away from your placement year with practical experience working on customer projects and a head start on your career development.

We’re looking for students with engineering backgrounds who have a real passion for innovation and R&D. You should be able to clearly document your work and be confident presenting in internal meetings. A keen interest in electric motors and the long-term environmental benefits would also be a big plus!

You will be joining the team for a 12-month industrial placement where you will be given the opportunity to work within different disciplines within the engineering team, in all cases the tasks being allocated will be directly related to customer projects.

Some responsibilities may include and are not limited to:

• Executing test plans to prove functionality/performance/durability
• Liaising with external test houses for delivery of tests, including reporting and maintaining to agreed schedules
• Developing and writing test cases, utilising new and standard test methods to satisfy project requirements.
• Working with Test Technicians during test setup and operation
• Assist with preparation of test rigs and equipment
• Carrying out data analysis and drawing conclusions from test data to produce engineering test reports

What you will achieve:

• The ability to apply engineering skills and knowledge to conduct accurate tests, employing safe working practices in a fast-paced test environment
• Developing your understanding of performance and durability testing methods
• Developing your knowledge of mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems, analogue and digital sensors, and digital communications (CANbus, ModBus, EtherCAT).
• Developing soft skills to create working relationships and be able to communicate effectively with various teams and be able to present results/presentations.
• Utilising MATLAB and NI Diadem for data analysis and reporting

You will also be given individual projects, which will allow you to test the skills you have acquired and provide the basis for a report and presentation at the end of your placement to satisfy the requirements of your particular course.

If you wish to be considered for our 12-month Test & Development Industrial Placement Programme, please apply today with your CV and cover letter.