Research Engineer – Connectivity & Smart Devices

Join us, be part of more.
We’re so much more than an energy company. We’re a family of brands revolutionising how we power the planet. We're energisers. One team of 21,000 colleagues that's energising a greener, fairer future by creating an energy system that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels, whilst living our powerful commitment to igniting positive change in our communities. Here, you can find more purpose, more passion, and more potential. That’s why working here is #MoreThanACareer. We do energy differently - we do it all. We make it, store it, move it, sell it, and mend it.
Want to help the world move towards Net Zero and shape the future of energy from within the UK’s leading energy providers?
Energised Futures is Centrica's in-house science, research and innovation incubator, established to systematically explore the possible and catalyse Centrica’s purpose of energising a greener, fairer future. To do this, we’ve built a dynamic and diverse team of researchers to perform cutting edge innovation across its core themes of flexibility, automation, connectivity, markets, engagement, and access, and pairing this with a strong support team to publish and promote research activities, engage with other research institutions and energy innovators, and grow our portfolio of activities.
Based in Antwerp and London since 2024, we continue to grow and evolve, giving newcomers to the team the chance to play a pivotal role in shaping the team and its processes, as it in turn shapes the roadmap for the wider organisation and industry.
Location: UK Flexible with travel as required to key hubs in Reading and Leicester
The Job
We are looking for a curious and hands-on Research Engineer – Connectivity & Smart Devices to investigate how connected devices, communication protocols and interoperability standards can support the energy transition.
You will research, evaluate and prototype connectivity solutions for smart energy devices, including electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, batteries, smart meters, home energy systems, sensors and edge gateways. You will work with researchers, architects, software engineers, technicians and external partners to turn emerging technologies into practical experiments, demonstrators and clear technical recommendations.
What You'll Be Doing
Research and Evaluation:
Research emerging connectivity technologies, communication protocols and interoperability standards
Design and undertake technical experiments to evaluate performance, reliability, scalability, security and suitability for energy applications
Translate experimental findings into clear recommendations for technical and non-technical stakeholders
Prototyping:
Build proof-of-concept systems using Raspberry Pi, embedded Linux, microcontrollers, edge gateways and smart energy devices
Develop software for device communication, protocol integration, device simulation, data acquisition and automated testing
Connect physical devices to edge and cloud platforms to demonstrate end-to-end energy use cases
Connectivity and Interoperability:
Investigate how heterogeneous devices and platforms can communicate securely and consistently
Evaluate IoT and energy protocols such as MQTT, CoAP, Modbus, Matter, Thread, OCPP, OpenADR, EEBUS, DLMS/COSEM and IEC 61850
Contribute to reference architectures, interface definitions, test approaches and reusable research assets
Collaboration and Communication:
Work with multidisciplinary teams across Energised Futures and Centrica
Collaborate with universities, technology companies, research organisations and standards communities
Produce technical reports, research papers, presentations and demonstrator documentation
Contribute to publications, conferences and industry engagement where appropriate
What We're Looking For
A curious and practical research engineer with strong foundations in networking, programming and connected devices, and a genuine interest in applying these capabilities to the energy transition
Key Skills and Experience:
Good knowledge of computer networking and Internet protocols
Programming experience in any of Python, Rust, C/C++ or another relevant systems or embedded language
Hands-on experience with Raspberry Pi, embedded Linux, microcontrollers or similar platforms
Knowledge of device communication protocols and integration patterns
Ability to troubleshoot hardware, software and connectivity problems
Understanding of connected-device cybersecurity
Experience conducting structured technical investigations or experimental engineering
Ability to communicate technical findings clearly through reports, presentations and demonstrations
Interest in smart energy devices, distributed energy resources, flexibility and the digitalisation of energy systems
Nice to Have:
Experience with electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, smart meters, battery systems, solar inverters or home energy-management technologies
Knowledge of energy-sector interoperability standards such as OCPP, OpenADR, EEBUS, SAREF, IEC 61850, IEEE 2030.5 etc
Knowledge of AWS or Azure IoT and edge-computing services
Experience working with external research partners, standards organisations or collaborative innovation programmes
Publications, patents, conference presentations or open-source contributions
Education and Background:
A degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical or Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications, Embedded Systems, Energy Systems or a related subject, or equivalent professional experience
A relevant Master’s degree is desirable but not essential
A relevant PhD is advantageous, but not mandatory. Equivalent industrial research, product-development or experimental-engineering experience will be equally valued
What We Offer:
An attractive salary and compensation package appropriate to the successful candidate’s skills and experience
A competitive set of additional benefits, depending on the hiring location
A flexible hybrid-working pattern
The opportunity to work with smart energy devices, advanced connectivity technologies and experimental test environments
Scope to publish research, attend conferences and collaborate with academic and industry partners
A high-calibre multidisciplinary team in which your technical and creative input can have a visible impact
An inclusive working environment that values different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives
The opportunity to contribute directly to a greener, fairer energy future
Why should you apply?
We’re not a perfect place – but we’re a people place. Our priority is supporting all of the different realities our people face. Life is about so much more than work. We get it. That’s why we’ve designed our total rewards to give you the flexibility to choose what yo