Experimental Officer (Respirator Testing)

About Amodo

Amodo is a hardware engineering company building the 21st century's most important technologies. Our team of mechanical, electronic, firmware, and software engineers are trusted by world-leading startups, universities, governments and philanthropists to solve pressing technical challenges. See who they are on https://amododesign.com - including MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, ARIA and Rand Corp.

We are selective in the projects we take on and proactive in seeking out where our exceptional engineering teams can make the most impact. We believe in differential technology development: deliberately accelerating safety-enhancing technologies to ensure human flourishing. Not every technology is inevitable – rather, the market fails to incentivise key domains. We work in these areas.

The role

We are hiring scientists to help plan and run our PPE (respirator) testing programme. This is an unapologetically hands-on role. Day-to-day, you will:

• Help plan the testing programme — protocols, methods, and measurements
• Prepare test equipment and environment and run tests hands-on
• Manage test sessions with our participants, who are members of the public

We’re looking for someone who will fit into a team with a strong culture of excellence. Good experimental design only counts if the execution matches it, so we want people who take pride in running their own experiments and in getting clean, dependable data from real-world human participants.

About you

We value drive, culture fit, and a track-record of excellence above all else, but the below competencies, interests, and attributes are extremely desirable:

• Strong scientific background — a degree or postgraduate research experience in a physical, life, or applied science
• Experience designing experiments: protocols, controls, and measurement methodology
• Meticulous hands-on execution — careful, repeatable work with equipment and instrumentation
• Comfortable and professional working face-to-face with members of the public as test participants
• Rigorous record keeping and an insistence on clean, defensible data

Alongside the above, the below competencies will strengthen an application:

• Statistics and data analysis skills (preferably python)
• Experience with human-participant studies or regulated testing environments
• Familiarity with respirator fit testing, occupational hygiene, or PPE standards
• Very strong communication skills

A bit on our culture and what it would look like to work here

• Our values: Truth-seeking, excellent, enthusiastic, kind, humble, and always learning
• Our approach: We think before diving in, iterate fast, and focus on the highest-impact 80/20 work. We favour rapid experimentation, quick feedback loops, and sprinting to "something that works" rather than over-planning.
• Feedback culture: We practice radical candor, which means being clear and direct while staying kind, and welcoming feedback at every level
• No "not my job"-ism: If we see something wrong, we fix it. If your part of a project is going great and another is struggling, don't settle for polishing a chunk of a struggling ship
• Socials: Table tennis every lunch, personal project evenings, pub trips, trail running club, and more
• Office: Spacious, modern space in central Sheffield, with parking and bike storage. In-house workshop and equipment for our mechanical and electrical work.

Benefits

• Free lunch every day
• Flexible hybrid working
• Flexible working hours
• 35 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• We can pay your professional registration and institution fees
• Relocation assistance may be negotiated
• £300 annual personal project budget with weekly maker evenings (tools, pizza and support provided)

To let you know a bit more about what to expect, our core interview process is as follows.

• 15 minute technical screening interview
• 1 hour technical interview
• 1.5 hour in-person interview
• Offer!

We may occasionally include 1-3 additional stages, including aptitude tests or video calls with one of our founders. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.