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Product Development and Innovation

We’re working to make government buildings as safe and secure as possible. So, we aspire to exceptional standards in the security hardware and software we provide, because off-the-shelf products, from CCTV to public address systems, won’t always cut it. That’s why our Product Development and Innovation team work to develop bespoke systems, to enhance commercially available products, and to imagine the possibilities for future products we could provide.

Not the career you wanted?

If this isn’t what you had in mind, answer a few questions and we’ll find where you fit.

Key roles in the area

  • Lab Technicians
  • Lab Managers
  • Project Managers

 

 

Hear from one of the team

In another business, you might do some work on the electronics, then pass it onto a tester, then a manufacturer, and never really get a feel for how this thing you’ve imagined becomes a reality. At FCDO Services, you really get to lead on it and see it through.

Product Development and Innovation colleague

Our Product Development and Innovation team are based in Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes. 

We might develop a one-off product to help a particular government customer – or we might develop solutions that are rolled out across a range of embassies.

Case studies

Want to learn more about the work we do? Have a look at our case studies and explore the impact of our projects – and the diverse skills that come together to make it all happen.

Learning and development

Alongside the training available to the wider FCDO Services team, there are some specific options in place to help our Product Development and Innovation team excel:

  • Encouragement to gain a broad range of practical skills: current colleagues have studied for HNCs and HNDs in everything from design to electronic to CAD engineering
  • Training to understand and use practical tools, like the 3D printers used in the prototyping and manufacturing process

Find out about overall training and benefits at Life at FCDO Services 

Did you know?

The products we develop are like those you might find anywhere – but with exceptional capabilities built in.
Take our VOICE system, used in embassies worldwide. It’s a public address and incident alarm system, like you’d find in any modern building complex, but ours is multilingual, security-assured, and programmed for events from conflict to earthquakes.

Our team have to understand not just engineering, but geographical context; how hardware and software will operate across regions and climates.

Unusually, engineers here will be involved across a product’s whole lifecycle, from first design drafts right through to supporting the final roll-out.

Staying ahead of the curve in Product Development and Innovation

We’re providing the very best in secure technology for our government customers. But in an industry that moves so fast, how do we stay ahead?

Our in-house lab equipment, including 3D printers and design workstations, mean we can easily develop and prototype new products right here onsite.

We stay up to date with the very latest products and releases – then we immediately get to work on how we could make them secure and robust enough for our customers.

We’re not the only team developing incredible tech within FCDO Services – we can also call on experts from our Transformation Hub, who identify emerging tech start-ups to work with.

What do I need to thrive here?

1. Honesty

Sometimes an idea doesn’t work, or a bug can’t be solved alone. You share your problems, so that the team can help.

2. Tenacity

If at first you don’t succeed, troubleshoot again. You keep going even when there’s a tricky problem in your project.

3. Experience across disciplines

We work across areas from electronics and mechanical engineering to software, networking and design software, so you’ll need broad technical experience.

4. Team spirit

You’re happy to turn your mind wherever you’re needed, because if a colleague has a problem, it’s better solved together.

Latest roles

Want to join FCDO Services but can’t see a live role to suit you? Great news: you can sign up for job alerts or add your CV to our talent pool and we’ll be in touch when something comes up.

Interior Designer

London KCS
£43,200 plus £5000 location allowance and excellent benefits including Civil Service Pension

Locksmith

London KCS
£31,657.00-plus location allowance of £5000 for London. Excellent benefits, overtime and expenses cover, and the opportunity to earn extra on 22 week overseas deployments

QA Test Manager

Hanslope Park
£45,608 – £47,527 plus £1750 Location Allowance and excellent benefits

Technical Security Countermeasures Officer

Hanslope Park
£38,351 Plus £1750 Location Allowance

Service Transition Manager

Hanslope Park
£35,824 – £37,138 plus £1750 location allowance and excellent benefits