The electric vehicle market is moving faster than ever, and our production lines are changing right along with it. EVs are no longer just a small part of what we do, they are driving our future. Because the realities of this job have completely shifted, organisations are looking for someone who can step up and help them lead the change.
If you have a position that has been tough to fill lately, it is rarely a reflection of your company. Often, the current advert just needs an update to match how the role has grown. Top-tier experts might be skipping past an outdated job title, while the candidates you could be in contact with down the line might just lack the highly specific EV experience needed to fly through the interview stage.
You are asking for a hybrid engineer, but you need an EV expert
According to September 2026 registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), electrified cars are completely dominating new sales this year. Hybrids took the biggest part of the market at 36.6%, while pure electrics jumped significantly to 21.7% (up from 15.8% last year). Plug-in hybrids added another 10%, leaving traditional petrol and diesel models with less than a third of all new registrations.
On paper, this looks like a sudden shift. But on the factory floor, making this transition work is rarely smooth sailing. What these numbers really highlight is how incredibly adaptable engineering and manufacturing teams have been. Automotive companies have done an amazing job keeping production lines moving while simultaneously training staff on entirely new vehicle architectures. You are successfully juggling two generations of technology at once.
In reality, your teams are handling every phase of the transition all at once. You still need gas-engine expertise for traditional models, specialised skills for hybrids, and completely different talent for pure EVs. Expecting a single 'EV engineer' job description to cover all of that is impossible.
One Job Description Cannot Cover a Cross-Domain Role
Titles like "powertrain engineer" and "calibration engineer" end up sticking around mainly because they fit into existing corporate structures. The problem is that the actual workload keeps growing, while the job description stays exactly the same.
Consider what we expect from a hybrid car engineer today. Expecting them to master the combustion engine, the battery system, and the software connecting them is like asking a chef to be a world-class pastry maker and a master sushi chef at the same time. Asking one person to cover everything just scares off strong candidates. Since expanding the hiring team is expensive, the realistic solution is focusing on the skills you are missing the most and prioritising those positions first.
The Growing Skills Sit in Battery, High-Voltage and Software Work
McKinsey’s research shows that succeeding in the electric vehicle market means moving past old-school mechanical engineering. Today, suppliers also need deep expertise in electronics and electrical design. Industry experts at EIT InnoEnergy agree, naming battery management and safety systems as the core skills needed for the future.
McKinsey also reports that software engineering is the largest share of labour cost in a software-defined vehicle R&D programme. This is why modern job descriptions should focus on connected skill sets rather than strict job titles.
Late Workforce Planning Produces Vague Specifications
It is much easier to separate critical safety skills from foundational engineering basics. Hire for those two things first. Anything left over, like specific tools or vehicle setups, can be handled with basic on-the-job training.
Retirements Turn Every Vacancy Into a Design Decision
The Institute of the Motor Industry estimates that the UK automotive sector may need to replace 144,000 people by 2032 because of retirement. That is 19% of its workforce. The European Commission's mobility transition pathway reports that 25% of the automotive workforce is over 50, and that 2.4 million workers will need retraining or upskilling by 2030.
This presents a unique opportunity to reshape teams. Rather than trying to find an exact 1-to-1 replacement, which is nearly impossible today, forward-thinking companies are using these vacancies as a perfect moment to invest directly into electric vehicle expertise.
How to Adjust Right Now
To bridge the talent gap, the best approach is to move away from old templates and look at hiring through a modern lens:
· Discover your hidden strengths: Map out the skills you already have in-house before writing a new job description. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that the core engineering foundations you need are already sitting within your current team.
· Hire for where you are going: Focus the job description entirely on the specific EV or hybrid systems the candidate will actually touch on a daily basis, rather than cluttering it with legacy combustion requirements.
· Build a "skills mix" team: Accept that one person rarely knows everything. Aiming to hire for complementary skills across a team, rather than hunting for a single mythical candidate, takes the pressure off your budget and your candidates.
How VHR Works With Organisations Hiring in Electrification
VHR is a specialist technical recruitment consultancy with dedicated practices in automotive engineering and engineering & manufacturing. We support organisations hiring across powertrain, controls, validation and manufacturing engineering, on both a permanent and contract basis.
We stay connected with candidates in the most difficult specialities, so you don't have to wait. Engineers with strong roots in controls, testing, or thermal systems are often exactly who you need for hybrid roles, even if they are currently working on traditional engines.
Whether you have roles that aren't moving, an upcoming project phase 12 to 18 months out, or a workforce plan you want to test against the current market, reach out to VHR’s Engineering & Manufacturing team by booking a quick intro call right here. Starting the conversation early simply leaves you with better options.
