Hardware Test and Assembly Technician

Job Description

At Sportable, we're not just redefining the future of sports technology; we're creating it. As a leading sports data provider, we've pioneered world-first innovations such as our range of Smart Balls, and we continue to expand into new sports and new markets. Our products combine cutting-edge embedded systems, wireless technology, and cloud-based platforms.

We are looking for a skilled Hardware Test and Assembly Technician to work alongside our hardware engineers on the bench, building, reworking and testing the electronics that go inside our ball and player tags.

Role Overview

This is development work, not a production line. Every board is different, most of them are the first of their kind, and the work needs judgement as well as a steady hand. You will be the person who builds it, reworks it, tests it, and writes down what actually happened.

You will also own the lab: component stock, kitting, consumables and ESD control.

Key Responsibilities

• Assembly, Rework and Build
  • Hand assembly and rework of development boards, down to 0201 passives and fine-pitch leadless packages, under a stereo microscope.
  • Hot-air and preheat rework: part replacement, shielding cans, pad and track repair, solder-bridge and cold-joint correction.
  • Radio-frequency detail work: coaxial pigtails and connectors, antenna feeds, fine coil and enamelled-wire terminations.
  • Cable, harness and battery-lead assembly to a drawing: crimping, strain relief, heat-shrink and labelling.
  • Mechanical assembly of development units with our Mechanical Technical Lead: seals, retention and potting preparation.

• Test Execution and Records
  • Executing written test and bring-up procedures on serialised units, and recording what you measured rather than what was expected.
  • First-line fault isolation: narrowing a problem down to a subsystem and handing it over with the evidence attached.
  • Photographic records of each unit before and after rework, filed against the serial.
  • Supporting bring-up on new boards alongside the design engineers, including same-day rework turnaround.
• Fixtures, Lab and Stock
  • Building, wiring and maintaining test fixtures and jigs from an engineer's design.
  • Owning component stock, consumables and kitting, and flagging a shortage before it stops a build.
  • Owning the ESD control routine across the lab, and instrument calibration due dates.
  • Safe handling, charging and storage of lithium-polymer cells.

You will not be asked to design circuits or lay out boards, and you will not be asked to diagnose root cause or sign a test off as passed. You will be asked to build things properly, to tell us the truth about what they do, and to write it down.

Qualifications and Experience

• A recognised electronics qualification (N4 to N6 or S4 electrical or electronic engineering, NCV level 4 electronics, or a completed electronics or instrumentation trade qualification), or three or more years of hands-on electronics assembly and rework experience.
• Real fine-pitch surface-mount rework skill. You will be asked to demonstrate it at our bench.
• Confident with a stereo microscope, temperature-controlled iron, hot-air station and preheater.
• Confident with a multimeter, bench supply and oscilloscope, including knowing when a measurement is not trustworthy.
• Able to read a schematic, an assembly drawing and a bill of materials.
• Clear, complete written records.
• ESD discipline that does not need reminding.
• Available full-time for six months, and able to commute daily to Claremont, Cape Town.

Nice-to-Have

• IPC certification: J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, or IPC 7711 and 7721 rework and repair.
• Experience in low-volume, high-mix product development rather than high-volume production. This is the single best predictor of fit.
• RF or wireless product experience, including coaxial assembly and shielding.
• Test fixture, jig or wiring loom build experience.
• Lithium-polymer cell handling.
• Stock control, kitting or stores experience.
• Jira or a similar ticketing tool, and spreadsheet competence for results capture.
• Any scripting, even basic, for bench logging.

Reporting to

• Head of Hardware
• Day-to-day direction from our Principal Hardware Engineer
• Working closely with our Hardware Engineer, our Mechanical Technical Lead and the Embedded Firmware team

Why Join Sportable?

• Real ownership. The fixtures, the stock and the lab are yours.
• Work at the cutting edge of sports technology, on products that are changing how fans, players, and coaches experience the game.
• Every board is different and most are the first of their kind. If you are bored by repetition, this is the opposite of a production line.
• Work you can point at when you watch a professional match, alongside a multi-disciplinary team spanning electronics, RF, embedded software, cloud, and data science.

Diversity Statement:  

Sportable is a committed equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from disabled candidates, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.