Principal -Speed Digital Electronics Design Engineer

Job Description

Salary £53,000 to £71,400

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.

At Leonardo, we’re bringing together some of the brightest engineering minds to develop the GCAP radar, and we’re looking for experienced Principal High‑Speed Digital Electronics Engineers to join us in Edinburgh or Newcastle. This is more than a role—it’s an opportunity to step into a growing programme at a pivotal moment. You’ll be embedded within a multi‑disciplinary delivery team, taking concepts from early requirements right through to final delivery.

Every day, you’ll see the direct impact of your expertise as part of a high‑performing team driving innovation at pace.

• Design cutting‑edge high‑speed digital PCBs, incorporating state‑of‑the‑art FPGAs, microprocessors, and complex interconnects.
• Lead hardware development across the full lifecycle—from early requirements analysis and design to testing, integration, acceptance, and customer delivery.
• Produce clear, accurate technical documentation, maintaining configuration control and providing insight through plans and progress updates.
• Collaborate with engineers across disciplines as you solve real integration challenges within sophisticated systems.
• Apply your technical foundation, ideally grounded in a degree such as Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Physics, or a related field (BSc, BEng, MSc, MEng, PhD, EngD).
• Translate system‑level requirements into robust hardware designs, working with clarity and precision.
• Use your schematic capture expertise to bring designs to life.
• Design high‑speed serial communication links, drawing on your understanding of relevant protocols and architectures.
• Integrate hardware, firmware, and software—bringing microprocessor‑based systems onto bespoke hardware platforms.
• Take a methodical, process‑driven approach to the entire design lifecycle.
• Debug, test, and verify your designs, supporting system commissioning and making sure everything works seamlessly.

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s 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

• Time to Recharge – Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year.
• Secure your Future – Benefit from our award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters – Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance – All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning – Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and Linked In Learning.
• Refer a friend – Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks – Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working – Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

GB - Edinburgh

GB - Newcastle

Permanent

Hybrid