applicants
IT and Hardware Technician
at Ember Edinburgh in Edinburgh (Published at 25-11-2024)
About Ember
We're building the future of public transport — convenient, affordable, connected and zero-emission. Our goal is to make it easier and more enjoyable to get from A to B with Ember than it is with your own car.
Ember is a tech company, not a traditional bus operator. We've built a platform that coordinates our entire operation – everything from monitoring vehicles and controlling chargers to selling tickets and calculating ETAs. This allows us to use electric buses more intensively than anyone else in the world, leading to a massive reduction in emissions. It also helps us provide a much better passenger experience, with innovative features like demand-responsive stops.
We’re still tiny, with a handful of routes and 38 buses. The challenge is to scale this 100x whilst staying lean, increasing efficiency and delivering an even better product experience. We’ve raised equity from some of Europe’s leading climate VCs and are looking for mission-driven individuals who want to get on board and help take us to the next level.
The role
As Ember's IT and Hardware Technician, you'll set up and maintain systems across our Head Office, fleet of buses and charging hubs. This requires very strong technical skills, extreme diligence, an appetite for learning, a problem solving mindset and good communication.
We work with a wide variety of hardware, particularly when it comes to our fleet of buses. Much of it will likely be new to you but the right candidate will pick things up fast. To give you an idea of the scope responsibilities will include:
Configuring iPads for use on vehicles with our custom enterprise app and mobile device management (MDM), ensuring all settings are consistent.
Working with our maintenance team to roll out CCTV on every vehicle, ensuring it's all configured and working reliably. We have some automated tools and scripts to help with this which you'll be expected to learn.
Purchasing other hardware required for bus fit-out, diligently ensuring we are sourcing exactly the right items at the best cost and on schedule. Configuring this hardware once it arrives – e.g. for each telematics box inserting a SIM card, connecting the battery, installing a configuration file, setting up remote management and testing that it all works.
Building various tech boards which are used on board vehicles – this means getting hands-on with things like cutting wires, screwing things in, crimping connections and more. Any experience with electronics – e.g. knowing how to use a multimeter, knowing how power relates to voltage and current etc – is helpful but not required. We're happy to teach you so long as you are willing to learn.
Responding to IT defects, such as Wi-Fi not working on a bus or at a hub, swiftly and diligently. We have good tools available to fix many problems remotely but you'll need to know how to use these accurately. That requires a thoughtful, methodical approach. We're also looking for you to think about how we could avoid the problem entirely – e.g. configuring devices to reboot automatically under certain conditions.
Setting up staff laptops, helping them to get access to key systems and supporting them if they have any IT problems (e.g. getting locked out of accounts).
We have a strong focus on building scalable, reliable systems that don't require just throwing more people at a job. That means we'll be looking for you to help to figure out how we can become more efficient and automated – e.g. by logging the causes of defects diligently and then figuring out actions we could take to avoid them in the first place.
Diversity and equality
At Ember, we support diversity across our team and customers. We work to ensure every employee feels respected and able to give their best, whether temporary, part-time or full-time. We’re happy to offer flexible working patterns where they make sense, are compassionate when it comes to time off and offer enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
Read more about our approach in our Equal Opportunities Policy.
What’s on offer
As well as a salary of £30,000 - £45,000 per annum, depending on your skills and relevant experience, you'll also be granted share options through an EMI scheme.
How do I apply?
Apply using the form, providing a CV and a cover letter explaining why you're the one.
How you work and think is much more important to us than any specific industry experience but you should think that this sounds a lot like you:
Passionate about tech: We'd expect you to demonstrate a genuine passion for all things tech. Tell us about a fun project you've been working on whether it's a smart home, a 3D printer, a scripting project, the ultimate home Wi-Fi or something else.
IT expert: You should be the person your friends and family go to for their own tech problems. You may also have experience in some enterprise technologies such as MDM. If not, you should be comfortable you could learn them swiftly.
Natural tinkerer: We're looking for someone who is curious and wants to know how things work. If you can demonstrate that across both software and hardware that's even better.
Organised and structured: Managing all our systems is complex and requires diligence to avoid it getting away from you. You should be the kind of person who maintains inbox zero (or some other system) and never lets something drop.
Willing to get your hands dirty: You'll be blending the digital with the physical. Sometimes that'll mean typing in an IP address or running a script. At other times, it'll mean jumping on a bus up to one of our hubs to diagnose a pesky problem in person or help with some set-up.
Independent but communicative: You'll primarily be working as a team of one at the start – you'll be our first dedicated hire for this role. However, you'll be working within a broader structure and having good communication skills with people around you is important whether that's our maintenance team, software engineers, operations team or office manager.
