250 jobs in JLR electric drive

LUXURY car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has launched a recruitment drive for 250 new roles as part of the electrification of its range.

The new jobs will be based at its engineering centre in Gaydon and ‘Future Energy Lab’ in Whitley and support the development of its next generation of electric vehicles.

JLR said these new roles would strengthen its core competencies in battery-cell chemistry, design and systems. The roster of new jobs includes 40 battery engineer roles, with skills ranging from battery-cell design, software design and calibration to data science and battery validation. The remaining roles span specialisms in propulsion, including propulsion software, calibration and controls and component design among others.

This latest recruitment drive follows a £250m investment in the Future Energy Lab where electric drive units and batteries are engineered and tested on rigs and in climate chambers. The move to electrify JLR’s range of cars is the key tenet of its Reimagine strategy, launched in 2021, which is aiming to offer electric versions of all its models by 2030 and enabling the manufacturer to become carbon net zero by 2039. The next electric vehicle to launch will be the Range Rover Electric manufactured in Solihull.

Thomas Mueller, executive director of product engineering, said: “The realisation of our Reimagine strategy is dependent on our investment in people and technology.

“As we continue to invest in our facilities, we are now seeking very talented people to help us develop advancements in propulsion technology that will underpin our nextgeneration, modern luxury vehicles.”