Senior Electronics Design Engineer
Metalform is building the next generation of power wheelchairs, rugged, safe, and reliable mobility systems designed and manufactured in New Zealand. We’re hiring Senior Electronics Design Engineers to join a cross-functional team working end-to-end: concept, prototyping, field trials, certification, and production.
You’ll collaborate closely with firmware, mechanical, test, and manufacturing teams to deliver healthcare-grade electronics that perform in the real world.
Key Responsibilities:
· Design, develop, and validate electronics hardware for power wheelchairs, covering power systems, motor drivers, sensors, and communication interfaces.
· Lead the design of high-power BLDC motor control and power architecture (battery packs, BMS, DC-DC converters, chargers) with attention to thermal performance, protection, and EMC/EMI compliance.
· Develop safety-critical circuits and mechanisms (e-stop, watchdogs, redundancy, diagnostics, and fail-safe paths) to meet healthcare-level reliability.
· Plan and execute rigorous testing and validation, including HIL, environmental stress testing, fault injection, and traceable verification.
· Ensure compliance with healthcare and mobility, through design practices, documentation, and collaboration with certification partners.
· Collaborate closely with firmware, mechanical, and test teams to ensure robust system integration and continuous improvement from concept to production.
Experience and skills considered essential for this role*:
· Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Electronics or Electrical Engineering.
· 6+ years in electronics hardware design for safety-critical or mobility/medical-grade systems (e.g., powered mobility, healthcare devices, automotive).
· Strong expertise in analog and digital circuit design, including schematic capture and PCB layout for high-reliability systems.
· Proficiency with hardware design tools (e.g., Eagle, Altium) and circuit/simulation tools.
· Experience in power electronics: BLDC motor drivers, DC-DC converters (buck, boost, flyback), and thermal management.
· Solid understanding of embedded hardware interfaces (CAN, UART, I2C, SPI).
· Strong troubleshooting and reliability engineering skills, including root cause analysis and FMEA/DFMEA.
· Experience with HIL testing, environmental stress testing, and reliability validation.
· Experience in EMC/EMI design and mitigation for compliance.
Desirable Skills:
· Knowledge of battery management systems (BMS), including safety and cell balancing.
· Experience with safety standards and certification for medical/mobility devices.
· Experience with wire harness and connector design for rugged, IP-rated mobility applications.
In return Metalform offer our employees the following:
· A chance to build technology that changes lives.
· Career development in a growing team with a strong focus on innovation.
· A friendly, fun, and innovative culture. Our culture is something we are really proud of.
· Competitive remuneration and benefits.
· The opportunity to work end-to-end, from concept to production, on products made in New Zealand and shipped worldwide.
For more information on this role and others we have available please visit www.metalform.co.nz/careers/
Join Metalform. Build something great.
Every day we are building amazing products. But that is just one part of the story.
At Metalform we are building something great. We are a company and team of people collaborating to bring future products to life.
For 60 years Metalform has been family owned and today we still retain a culture that invites collaboration, transparency and challenges the status quo.
Now, with over 100 people working on a diverse range of innovative products we occupy a sweet spot in the New Zealand manufacturing landscape. We offer a complete concept to reality production line providing our staff with opportunities to learn new skills, develop their careers and to be a part of building something great.
Working with the team at Metalform means you can “leave your wallet in your unlocked toolbox.”
We are a New Zealand company taking New Zealand Made products to the world.
We’d love for you to join us.
The position is a full time Monday to Friday 8 am-5 pm. Occasional weekend work may be required.
To apply for this position please submit yohan.borda@metalform.co.nz your CV with a cover letter telling us about yourself and why you think you would be a good fit for our business.