Lead Firmware​/FPGA Specialist

Job Description

Salary: £60,000 to £84,955

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.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Leonardo for a Lead Firmware / FPGA Specialist to work within the Surveillance Sector, developing firmware, working on FPGAs, that underpins both our current proven surveillance radar systems and our next generation breakthrough technologies.

We deliver high-performance surveillance radar solutions such as Osprey and Seaspray, operating in demanding, mission-critical environments across air, land, and maritime domains. As new programmes begin from the ground up, we are offering a rare opportunity to help architect and develop the next generation of surveillance radar technology, working closely with hardware and software where performance, reliability, and innovation truly matter.

This is a unique opportunity where you will experience the full engineering lifecycle within Leonardo, involving requirement capture, architecture definition, design maturation, integration and qualification support of next generation surveillance radars.

If you have a proven track-record and are passionate in what you do and can deliver a pragmatic approach to problem solving, we would like to hear from you.

As a Lead Firmware / FPGA Specialist, you will work with the support of experts in their field, using world-class facilities to deliver firmware for complex digital systems that meet challenging future customer requirements. You will use your technical experience in all aspects of firmware development to support the delivery of key products. Your expertise will be key to enhance processes and ways of working across UK wide FPGA/Firmware delivery teams.

You will also mentor junior members of the team to help enhance their skills and knowledge in all aspects of Firmware development.

• Degree (BSc, BEng, MEng, MSc, PhD) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering or similar engineering/science course.

• Ability to analyse system level requirements and capture/ derive detailed FW requirements.

• Experience in firmware design techniques and tools, from VHDL to place-and-route.

• Experience in FPGA architectures such as system-on-chip (e.g. Xilinx Versal).

• Experience in specifying timing and area constraints for efficient FPGA place and route.

• Experience in integrating and debugging complex systems where the Firmware interacts with Hardware and Software.

• Experience of working in mixed discipline teams.

• Due to the nature of our work, any candidate must have 5 years UK residency and be capable of achieving full SC security clearance.

• Experience of auto-generated code using model driven engineering using MATLAB and Simulink tools.

• Experience of design tools such as Verilog, System Verilog and UVM.

• Experience in Siemens tools HDLDesigner and Questa Sim.

• Experience in using DOORs and Req Tracer.

• Experience with in the defence industry.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

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.

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