Principal Engineer Electronics & Systems

Principal Engineer Electronics & Systems Bedford | £60,000 - £75,000  Bonus  Benefits An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Principal Engineer, Technical Lead or Senior Systems Engineer to join an innovative technology business developing complex, highly regulated products. Reporting directly to the Head of Engineering, you will take technical ownership across electronics, embedded firmware and software development activities, helping shape product architecture, technical strategy and development delivery from concept through to production.

This is a senior technical leadership position suited to engineers who enjoy operating across multiple disciplines, influencing technical direction, managing suppliers and ensuring products are delivered safely, compliantly and to the highest quality standards. Why Join? Opportunity to act as the technical owner for a complex product platform Significant influence over architecture, technical direction and engineering decisions Lead and challenge external development partners and suppliers Broad role spanning electronics, firmware, software, verification and validation Direct access to senior leadership and key decision makers Opportunity to shape products from concept through to production and market release International travel and exposure to global development partners Annual bonus scheme Private healthcare Company pension 25 days holiday plus bank holidays

The Role You will work closely with engineering, quality, manufacturing and external development partners to ensure technical solutions meet customer, business and regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

Providing technical ownership across electronics, embedded firmware and software development programmes Defining, reviewing and approving system architectures, technical requirements and development plans Managing external development partners and suppliers, ensuring technical quality, delivery and compliance expectations are achieved Leading design reviews, technical risk assessments and engineering decision-making activities Defining verification and validation strategies and ensuring successful execution Reviewing technical documentation, traceability, testing evidence and product release activities Supporting product approvals, audits and compliance activities Driving technical problem-solving, root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives Supporting programme planning, technical governance and delivery milestones International travel approximately 4-5 times per year About You We are interested in speaking with engineers who have experience operating at a senior technical level and who enjoy taking ownership of complex product development activities.

Suitable backgrounds may include:
Principal Engineer Senior Systems Engineer Lead Systems Engineer Technical Lead Electronics Engineering Manager Product Development Engineer Engineering Manager Design Authority You will ideally bring:
Experience delivering complex electronic, embedded or mechatronic products Strong understanding of system architecture, product development and technical governance Experience managing suppliers, external development partners or contract engineering teams Knowledge of verification, validation and design review processes Experience operating within regulated or quality-driven engineering environments Strong stakeholder management and communication skills Ability to influence technical direction across multidisciplinary teams A practical, delivery-focused mindset with strong ownership and accountability This role is unlikely to suit candidates whose recent experience has been focused primarily on software engineering, cloud platforms, Dev Ops or application development.

We are specifically seeking engineers with broad product development experience spanning electronics, embedded systems, system architecture, verification and validation, supplier management and technical leadership. Candidates from medical devices, aerospace, automotive, industrial automation, defence and other complex engineering environments are encouraged to apply. Please note that sponsorship is not available for this position.