Senior Applications Developer

The primary purpose of this role is to lead the development and optimisation of waveforms in response to demanding customer applications, ensuring high‑quality preparation, printing, measurement, and interpretation of test samples. The role provides expert analysis, guides technical decision‑making, and delivers advanced outputs across customer, R&D, and production programmes in line with project objectives.

Strengthen programme delivery by refining test methods and acceptance criteria, producing clear application specific documentation, mentoring developers and technicians, and coordinating with adjacent functions to remove blockers. Propose targeted method and tooling improvements—grounded in observed inkjet behaviour and consequences—that increase versatility, reproducibility, throughput, and decision quality across NPD, customer, and Operations workstreams.

Reporting Relationships:

Reports to: Team Lead - Application Development

Line management responsibility: None

Key Accountabilities:

• Prepare suitable application test protocols that additionally target application risks within project and customer objectives
• Independently schedule, prepare, print, and measure test samples using qualified processes to industry standards
• Safely validate, optimise and operate print development and measurement equipment with minimal supervision.
• Provide contextualised clear and accurate recordings, analysis, and presentation of data to guide application improvements
• Guide improved test method, tooling, and documentation implementation.
• Identify issues and escalate project risks appropriately, providing supporting evidence and countermeasures.
• Mentor junior staff in equipment operation and workflow best practices.
• Ensure that emerging capability gaps are identified and covered.

Key challenges:

• Designing and refining robust test methods that enhance reproducibility and decision quality
• Coordinating cross‑functional technical problem solving to maintain programme momentum
• Guiding technical decision‑making in complex or ambiguous application scenarios
• Providing expert interpretation of waveform, print, and measurement data to influence project outcomes
• Delivering high‑quality outputs consistently under increased workload and technical complexity
• Mentoring staff and shaping team capability
• Recognising and escalating project risks with evidence‑based countermeasures.

Key Internal Relationships:

• Application Development
• Research and Development Team Leads
• Field Applications
• Project Managers
• Commercial Teams

Person Specification:

• Excellent inter-functional communication and interpersonal skills enabling effective collaboration.
• Proactive team contributor and motivator
• Evidence‑based critical thinker, capable of interpreting complex systems and data interdependencies.
• Strong experimental planning and accurate analytical skills
• Robust prioritisation and organising skills, adaptable to ambiguous and fast changing environments.
• Excellent time‑planning and delivery reliability, managing technical complexity effectively.
• Proficient in analysing and presenting data in multiple formats, producing clear, contextual insights for decision‑making.

Experience of:

• STEM education to at least degree level in a relevant field, or equivalent inkjet vocational experience (Essential)
• Strong multi-disciplinary communication skills (Essential)
• Proficient in MS Office Suite with some programming/scripting language knowledge, ideally Python (Essential)
• Significant experience in inkjet application development, including independent optimisation and validation of waveform–ink–print interactions, advanced print development and measurement, and producing contextualised interpretation of test data (Essential)
• Demonstrated ability to improve methods, tooling, and documentation; resolve complex technical issues; and support programme delivery through cross‑functional collaboration (Essential)
• Experience mentoring technicians and junior developers (Essential)
• Emerging capability in shaping acceptance criteria, enhancing workflow reproducibility, and understanding system‑level interdependencies (Essential)