Hardware Design Engineer

Job Description:

Salary Ranges

Principal: 54k - 71k

Lead: 60k - 84k

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role or a narrower hiring range published within that band and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Where this vacancy is being recruited across more than one grade the successful candidate will be appointed to a specific assessed grade and the applicable salary range will be that associated with the grade of appointment.

Leonardo offers an additional allowances for some roles for more information please contact

Your Impact:

What would you work on if you could shape the electronics at the heart of next generation Electronic Warfare and advanced sensing systems
At Leonardo our EW and FCA programmes demand hardware that performs at the edge of whats physically possible highspeed lownoise highly integrated and ultrareliable. Based primarily at our Luton and Bristol sites youll work on mission critical electronics that operate in some of the most challenging environments imaginable. Hybrid working is supported though onsite presence (typically 34 days per week) may flex with programme needs.

What you will do as a Hardware Engineer working on EW and FCA programmes:

• Own and influence hardware designs across the full lifecycle from system requirements and architecture through detailed design test integration and customer delivery.
• Design and develop complex high performance electronics including:
  • Highspeed digital and mixedsignal PCBs
  • FPGA SoC and microprocessorbased architectures
  • Highspeed serial interfaces and interconnects
• Translate system level requirements into robust producible hardware solutions.
• Lead or significantly contribute to design reviews trade studies and technical decision making.
• Integrate inhouse designs with COTS modules (power compute RF and highspeed interfaces).
• Drive debug test and verification activities at board and system level.
• For Principal and Lead engineers:
  • Provide technical leadership and mentoring within the team
  • Shape hardware strategy standards and best practice across programmes
• Collaborate daily within multidisciplinary teams spanning systems firmware software RF and manufacturing.

What youll bring:

Youll bring depth in one or more hardware domains combined with the confidence to operate on complex safety critical systems.

Essential experience:

• Proven industry experience as a Senior Principal or Lead Hardware Engineer.
• Strong background in one or more of:
  • Highspeed digital electronics
  • Mixedsignal or high performance analogue design
  • Power electronics / lownoise power architectures
• Handson experience designing highspeed PCBs including schematic capture layout oversight and simulation.
• Experience with:
  • FPGA SoC or microprocessorbased designs
  • Highspeed serial links and protocols (e.g. PCIe Ethernet JESDclass interfaces)
• Practical expertise in hardware bringup debug test and verification.
• Ability to interpret and derive hardware designs from system level requirements.
• Strong understanding of Design for EMC/EMI in demanding environments.
• Experience integrating hardware firmware and software into working platforms.
• Comfortable working within a structured hardware development lifecycle and configuration controlled environment.

Valuable (but not essential):

• Experience in EW radar sensors or other complex defence systems.
• Background in automotive medical aerospace or high reliability industrial electronics.
• Experience with lownoise analogue design power supplies or signal integrity.
• Use of model driven engineering approaches (e.g. MATLAB / Simulink).

Security Clearance:

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Governments Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: join us

At Leonardo our people are at the heart of everything…