Senior Hardware Engineer
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Position Overview & Specifications
Closing Date:
This vacancy may close at any time, if this role is of interest to you we recommend you apply as soon as possible.
The Opportunity
We have a fantastic new opportunity for a Senior Hardware Engineer to join our Southampton based team.Leonardo in Southampton is a world-leading manufacturer of Infrared detectors covering a broad range of wavelengths. These devices have widespread uses in the military field as well as many applications within the industrial and civil sectors. Leonardo also work closely with the scientific community to develop technologies in the Astronomy and Space sector.
Main Purpose of the Job To support the design and development of electro-optical test equipment hardware for the company’s range of Infrared detectors, from initial product development through to volume production and through-life support.
To support both new products and in-house test equipment, Leonardo develops electronics that require digitisation of an analogue signal and data processing of the digitised stream. An FPGA is usually used as the timing and data processing engine.
What you will do
- Requirements capture, interpretation and generation of design specifications
- Electronics schematic design, layout, and simulation
- Characterisation/Commission reports of Electronic designs
- Validation of designs against requirements
- Definition and generation of test plans
- Integration and validation at system level
- Preparation of technical documentation and reports
- Adherence to company governance and quality processes
Key Skills and Experience required Essential
- Degree in Electronics Engineering (or equivalent)
- Management of electronics design projects to achieve requirements within cost and time
- Use of Schematic Capture tools (Mentor Graphics, Proteus or equivalent)
- Ability to communicate technical information within the company and to customers
- Demonstrate evidence of good organisation, planning, cost control and execution of work
- Ability to work in a team with other engineering and science disciplines
- Good Communication and customer liaison skills
- Practical ‘hands on’ laboratory test, circuit construction and measurement experience
- Experience in using industry standard design tools to generate low noise analogue designs, from initial requirements through commissioning into use.
What we are looking for
DesirableKnowledge of device drivers and communication protocols (e.g. I2C, SPI, USB, Camera Link).
Experience of hardware design using FPGA devices
Experience in designing with video bandwidth amplifiers for low noise applications
Experience of working with Analogue to Digital converters
Experience of working with high level hardware description languages such as Verilog, and VHDL
Experience in undertaking component selection and de-rating analysis
Familiarity with integrated design tools such as Quartus® II/Prime software, Lattice Diamond, HDL designer and ModelSim
Analysis of hardware designs to determine the optimum FPGA solution
Experience of porting intellectual property (IP) functions and subsystems into an FPGA
Ability to work to recognised standards, such as MIL-STD and IPC-610 specifications
Practical soldering/workshop skills
Experience of SMPS design is also desirable.
Security Clearance
You must be eligible for full security clearance. For more information and guidance please visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels
Life at Leonardo
With a company funded benefits package, a commitment to learning and development, and a flexible approach to working hours focused on the needs of both our employees and customers, a career with Leonardo has never offered as many opportunities or been more accessible to as many people.
Pension: Award winning pension scheme (up to 10% employer contribution
Life at Leonardo
Discover life at Leonardo – a company for extraordinary peopleOur UK locations
We have offices around the UK, including Basildon, Bristol, Edinburgh, Lincoln, Luton, Southampton and YeovilCommitted to Inclusion
We are committed to creating a working environment that is designed to provide everyone with the opportunity to succeed.Candidate Selection & Onboarding Process
Application & Resume Screening
Submit your tailored CV/Resume directly to the talent acquisition portal.
Technical & Competency Interviews
Virtual interviews with the hiring manager and multidisciplinary team.
Formal Offer & Benefits Negotiation
Written agreement outlining compensation, equity, retirement vesting, and relocation allowances.
Onboarding & Corporate Integration
Equipment provisioning, team orientation, and commencement of duties.
United Kingdom Right to Work & Skilled Worker Visa Guide
Employment in the United Kingdom requires legal Right to Work verified under the Home Office Points-Based Immigration System:
Sponsoring employers must hold an active Home Office A-rated Sponsor License and assign a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Role must meet the general minimum salary threshold (£38,700) or occupation going rate.
Continuous employment under Skilled Worker status establishes eligibility for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 5 continuous years, leading to British Citizenship.
Candidate Preparation Blueprint: Aerospace & Defence
Based on transatlantic hiring benchmarks for Senior Hardware Engineer roles across Leonardo's corporate sector, successful applicants typically excel across three core dimensions:
Demonstrated portfolio evidence, architecture/system design case studies, or validated professional certifications directly applicable to Aerospace & Defence.
STAR method competency responses highlighting cross-functional leadership, conflict resolution, and delivering measurable enterprise ROI under tight timelines.
Total compensation expectation aligned within the benchmarked £42,240 - £65,353 bracket, including retirement vesting and health parity.
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