Principal -Speed Digital Electronics Design Engineer

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.

This is an exciting opportunity for you as an experienced engineer to bring your skillset and knowledge into our working environment. You will:

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

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work-life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• 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…