New engineering hubs opening in Germany, Italy and Spain to develop next-generation autonomous technologies
Nearly 100 new jobs created working on developing driver assistance systems and artificial intelligence (AI) for self-driving cars of the future
Comes in addition to the six JLR tech hubs in USA, Hungary, Ireland, UK, China and India
Marks the next phase in Jaguar Land Rover’s digital transformation and global digital recruitment drive, as big tech industry downsizing continues
New technology hubs are part of strategic partnership with NVIDIA and adds to Jaguar Land Rover’s growing global footprint
Gaydon, UK, Tuesday 21st February 2023: Jaguar Land Rover is expanding its global digital capability by opening three new tech hubs in Europe, creating nearly 100 new engineering jobs.
Munich is one of Europe’s top-ranking technology hubs*, while the sites in Spain and Italy have also been identified as significant and growing tech hub locations in Europe**.
The new hubs’ inception comes in addition to existing JLR tech hubs in Portland USA, Budapest Hungary, Shannon Ireland, Shanghai China, Bengaluru India and Manchester in the UK. Collectively these hubs employ over 1100 engineers, forming part of JLR’s nearly 9000 strong global engineering force.
Thomas Müller, Product Engineering Director at Jaguar Land Rover, said; “We are harnessing talent in autonomous technologies around the world to develop new autonomous technologies for our future products which will deliver a truly modern luxury experience for our clients
“Software is essential for us to deliver a fully connected experience for our clients and creating global engineering hubs will enable seamless hybrid working across several locations and ensure we harness the best talent for our business.”
The creation of the three new tech hubs marks the progression of Jaguar Land Rover’s multi-year partnership with NVIDIA, the leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing. Under the partnership, JLR engineers are working to develop and deliver next-generation automated driving systems, digital services, and experiences for clients.
Teams based at the new tech hubs have expertise spanning areas of autonomous technology including systems & features, software, verification & validation and hardware.
Candidates can find out more about Jaguar Land Rover’s digital and engineering opportunities HERE.
Lead Commodity Engineer Dr Nancy Liu loves science. Since the age of 3, her family knew that she was good at maths and loved experimenting with things.
Over the years, Nancy has earned her professional credentials from various different organisations and universities. She has a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Nottingham, after achieving a Master’s degree in Aircraft Control Engineering in Northwestern Polytechnical University in China – a Chinese national Class A Double first Class University.
Nancy was also featured in dSPACE magazine, providing user feedback on dSPACE simulators on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover Powertrain.
Nancy has worked in Jaguar Land Rover for almost 15 years. We asked her to share her experiences here as a lead engineer in Science.
Q: What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.
‘As a lead engineer, I am responsible for planning and building the test rigs. Essentially, I write scripts to test the BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) software to ensure they all meet the JLR standards.
On a daily basis I carry out rigorous manual and automation testing in our laboratory. I work in collaboration with our commodity owners and managers to ensure we deliver the battery management system with the highest quality, on time.’
Q: Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.
‘I previously supported our Electrical Integration team to update software for over 200 vehicles in China. We worked closely with the British manufacturing technicians and the Chinese retailers / warehouse employees.
In addition to the engineering aspect of my job, I also helped building relationships. I removed certain ambiguity when discussing complex projects; I knocked down language barriers by providing face-to-face professional interpretations, offering a greater context with my Chinese language skills and cultural background.
I previously led the powertrain HIL (hardware-in-the-loop) lab, assembling the team of 7 engineers from scratch. We did a thorough upgrade of all the hardware and software in the lab. The HIL facilities are still in use by many of our Jaguar Land Rover colleagues today and I am very proud of this achievement.’
Q: What do you like about working in Jaguar Land Rover?
‘I love science and engineering. Jaguar Land Rover provided me with this fantastic opportunity which allows me to combine the knowledge I have gained from years of studying and researching, with the practical aspect – I play with the latest software and cutting edge equipment daily. I work with a bunch of knowledgeable and enthusiastic people. What’s not to like?’
Q: What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?
‘I love my job, hardware-in-the-loop in particular. My manager is also very supportive, we often have open discussions about the technical issues as well as my personal development opportunities. I feel encouraged, empowered and supported to achieve more.’
Q: Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?
‘The Battery Management Control System team consists of employees from 8 different countries. We live and breathe Diversity and Inclusion everyday. I am the only female in my team, and we are all being treated equally. Everyone’s voice and opinions matter.’
Q: Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.
‘I am not all science and numbers, I also like art – I often paint in my spare time to relax and clear my mind; I am a keen traveller, my dream is to travel around the world one day.’
Q: What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?
‘Have the relevant background knowledge and be confident in your answers.’
Leah, Jaguar Land Rover degree apprentice, currently on her 6th-year placement in Electrification Services. In her spare time, Leah loves to train and regularly competes in Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit.
Her top tip for you is ‘Back yourself and take time to understand your personal strengths and weaknesses. Think about the value that these skills will bring to Jaguar Land Rover and its mission.’
We recently conducted a short interview to found out a little bit more about Leah, both in and out of Jaguar Land Rover.
Q: What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities.
I am a 6th-year AEP Degree Apprentice and I am currently on placement in Electrification Services, whose mission is to improve the EV ownership experience for customers through services. I am specifically focussing on improving the accessibility of charging infrastructure, which requires understanding the needs of those traditionally excluded from the EV ownership experience and creating a solution to not only help the exception but improve the experience for everyone. I joined Jaguar Land Rover in my home department of Vehicle Safety, where I essentially crashed cars; planning and coordinating full vehicle and component tests to ensure the safety of our vehicles. I have had the pleasure of being involved in several other areas of the business on placements within Special Vehicle Operations, Critical Concerns, Manufacturing, and Circular Economy.
Q: Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.
SHINE Network – I recently joined as a participator to reduce assumptions when designing for inclusivity. The network supports colleagues with disabilities, whether hidden, visible or both.
Women in Engineering – I attend their annual conference, where they aim to accelerate an inclusive future for women in engineering.
Q: What do you like about working here?
It is exciting to be involved with the company during such a huge change toward electrification and sustainability. The people I work with are truly passionate about their work and are invested in my growth.
Q: What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your current management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?
I see myself moving to a management role within the business, I feel I am a natural leader and have the wider knowledge to understand the bigger picture of the company. There are not enough females in this industry, so I want to encourage more young women to join the sector by acting as a role model. I would like to mentor and guide others to becoming the best version of themselves both in Jaguar Land Rover and life too. I would love the opportunity to work overseas at some point, so if the opportunity were to present itself I would work to make it happen. I think the people around me are invested in my growth, so if I work hard to achieve this, then it will be possible.
Q: Describe your current team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?
The common theme amongst the teams I have been in is their passion for the work they are undertaking. The team I am in now is truly passionate about improving the charging experience for customers and understands that this is vital for the success of the business. This belief will make the team work harder and more efficiently to achieve their objectives.
Q: Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.
In my spare time, I love to train and compete in Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit, and I am a qualified personal trainer. Lifting is a huge passion of mine and is where most of my spare time goes. The gym teaches me that hard work and perseverance pays off and that failure is just a route to success. It also acts as stress relief on those busy work weeks!
Last year I completed some of my first solo travel trips abroad! My favourite place I have travelled to is Costa Rica, although I got stuck in customs on the way back due to some apparent dodgy fingerprints!
I also own a paddleboard that I take out with friends in the warmer months to take some time away from Instagram scrolling and into nature.
Q: What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?
I was incredibly nervous when submitting my application, to the point that I nearly didn’t submit it as I thought ‘I wasn’t good enough’. Now I have taken time to understand my capabilities and value within the company, with some incredible mentors along the way. My biggest piece of advice is to back yourself and take time to understand your personal strengths and weaknesses. Think about the value that these skills will bring to Jaguar Land Rover and its mission.
Apply Jaguar Land Rover Apprenticeship Programmes here.
‘I’m originally from Vietnam and that’s where my passion for computing began. I originally did a degree in Mathematics and Informatics followed by a scholarship to do my Masters in Applied Mathematics. I then received a scholarship to do my PHD at NUI Galway.
I didn’t know a great deal about Ireland, so it was a huge decision to make the big leap to live a such a different country. After time spent doing a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Limerick I decided to move over from academia to industry – joining Jaguar Land Rover after a short time in Valeo to be involved in computer modelling for autonomous vehicles – an area where my mathematics background fitted well.
Even though I had no automotive experience – my skills and knowledge have been essential in the ADAS team. Working here has been a big learning curve for me. I have gained new learnings and knowledge in my role. I didn’t know C ++ when I arrived in industry – or anything about computer vision – but I have learnt these new skills very quickly. I am always looking to improve my knowledge on relevant subjects, and I adapted very quickly to my role.
I’m also lucky to have worked with helpful managers and teams – the whole working environment is hugely supportive. The projects I work on are hugely challenging but the future looks extremely exciting. My academic background has been a huge benefit in helping me develop algorithms and be involved in some incredibly challenging problem solving in Autonomous driving. I love it!’
‘A big part of working on electric cars involves rapid tech changes. Being involved in such a new technology means we are constantly innovating to deliver the best products, while working in a fast paced and agile environment.
Coming straight from Uni and having worked in powertrain electrification for the past three years I can tell you it’s an incredibly exciting industry to be involved in. Every year the public awareness of electrification increases, and this brings a real buzz to everything we are doing. It is also great to see how the technology which we are developing and innovating is having a positive impact on society.
What’s really important to me is bringing in new ways of thinking – it’s something our whole team is passionate about. We are back on site now 2-3 times a week – and it’s great to be able to get together to talk through projects. It’s sometimes those small interactions during the day that bring great ideas to life. We all understand the impact we have on the design of vehicles and our ideas are always encouraged.
Jaguar Land Rover is a hugely exciting place to be at the moment. There is a vast amount of work happening in electrification and we are constantly striving to deliver the most competitive systems in this arena.’
