EMI Uganda’s Research and Development Department exists to develop appropriate responses to the design and construction needs of the church within East Africa, while influencing the local design and construction industry. A large part of our work involves gathering empirical data that informs new solutions to design problems. We often need to develop our own electronics to enable this work. We are seeking a staff member who is experienced in electronics hardware and firmware development to support our custom data collection efforts. This person would be responsible for leading the design, manufacture, and deployment of instrumentation in support of EMI R&D’s research work.
This position is based in EMI Uganda’s office, located just outside of Kampala, Uganda. It is a large and diverse office, with 30+ professionals of 5+ nationalities. In addition to research and development, this office performs site and building design, construction management, and wood and steel fabrication in support of ministry partners in Uganda and across East Africa.
- Vibrant Christian faith
- High integrity and ethics
- Desire and ability to work cross-culturally
- Willingness and ability to relocate to Uganda
- Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
- 3+ years in electronics or firmware design (ideally, both)
- Willingness to work on projects outside of core discipline, if necessary
- Ability to manage work schedule in a flexible environment
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Able to work and collaborate well in multidisciplinary teams
- The ideal candidate, in addition to electrical and software skills, would feel comfortable building prototypes and test setups with general wood and steel materials and equipment.
The following are essential responsibilities for this position:
- Spiritual and professional discipleship through EMI's programs and opportunities
- Design, develop, and manufacture low-cost electronic products (custom sensor and datalogger packages) that further the mission of EMI R&D, EMI Uganda, and EMI as a whole
- Some past and current projects include:
- Remote solar-powered groundwater and rainfall loggers using cellular networks to transmit data to a cloud database.
- Temperature and humidity monitoring for a solar timber drying kiln providing potential to control vents and fan time of operation and direction.
- Automated percolation tester to measure soil absorption rates through constant monitoring and control of water column levels, including self-calibration of water level sensor.
- Data storage and visualization system for data gathered from the above projects.
- Work with EMI’s R&D team, and with design teams, workshop, and construction management teams, to identify instrumentation needs
- Coordinate and manage EMI volunteers in electrical hardware and software development projects.
- Write reports documenting instrumentation design and instructions for use
- Engage with outside industry players (such as other Architecture and Engineering firms, material suppliers, and university students and faculty)
- Manage and mentor interns
- Some past and current projects include:
The following are potential responsibilities, depending on applicant’s background and interests:
- Participate in EMI traditional building and site design project teams, as needed
- Help with the design and construction of test setups and prototypes (wood and steel fabrication, 3D printing, etc.)
- Consult with and/or help with management of EMI-Uganda’s IT systems