Electrical Design Engineer

Location: Chelmsford, EssexSalary: Competitive + BonusJob Type: Full-time, PermanentSector: Embedded Systems Electronics Design Engineering R&D

Reed Engineering are currently working with an industry-leading machinery manufacturer who are looking to appoint an experienced Embedded Electrical Design Engineer to join their growing team in Chelmsford.

This is a rare and exciting opportunity for an engineer with strong embedded hardware expertise and practical Forth programming experience to take a hands-on technical leadership role within a highly innovative engineering group.

The Role

As an Embedded Electrical Design Engineer, you will be responsible for the full lifecycle design and development of embedded electronic systems. You'll work across hardware, firmware, and low-level architecture, with a specific focus on Forth programming for real-time and resource-constrained applications.

You will play a key role in shaping technical direction, supporting junior engineers, and driving the design of high-reliability embedded platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead full lifecycle design of embedded electronic products from concept to release.
• Produce specifications, schematic capture, PCB layout input, and verification plans.
• Develop and maintain firmware in Forth and occasionally C/C++.
• Design and test digital and analogue circuits including power supply, signal conditioning, and comms interfaces.
• Work collaboratively with software, systems, and test engineering teams.
• Support compliance and environmental testing (EMC, CE, MIL-STD).
• Mentor junior engineers and participate in design reviews and quality processes.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering (or similar).
• 8+ years embedded hardware design experience.
• Proven experience programming in Forth for embedded or real-time systems.
• Strong understanding of microcontrollers, digital logic, analogue systems.
• PCB design experience using tools such as Altium, OrCAD, or similar.
• Confident using low-level debugging tools and techniques.
• Ability to work independently and within cross-functional engineering teams.

Desirable Skills

• Knowledge of protocols such as CAN, RS-485, I2C, SPI.
• Experience with FPGAs, RISC-V, or RTOS environments.
• Background in high-reliability or safety-critical systems.

What's on Offer

• Competitive salary + annual bonus
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexible hybrid working (on-site required for hardware development)
• Pension scheme
• Opportunities for R&D and technical leadership
• Supportive, collaborative engineering team working on unique, innovative projects

How to Apply

If you're an experienced Electrical Design Engineer with a passion for embedded systems and real-time programming, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now with your CV and a brief cover letter.