Avionics Engineer

Hill Helicopters; Stafford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the aviation industry seeks an Avionics Engineer to join their dynamic development team in Stafford. The role involves ownership of avionics hardware and embedded software development, requiring strong technical skills and a passion for aviation. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in engineering and relevant experience in electronics design and testing.

Qualifications

• At least 1 year of experience in electronics hardware design.
• Experience with electrical test equipment and embedded software development.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of avionics hardware and embedded software development.
• Collaborate with mechanical teams on interface requirements.
• Design test setups and perform hardware validation.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Electrical test equipment

PCB design

Analogue and digital circuit design

Communication interfaces

Project management

Software testing tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical, computer engineering, or related field

Tools

Altium

Job description

Overview

The Hill avionics and electrical team is responsible for building key in-house avionics systems for the HX/HC50 helicopter, including cockpit displays, engine controllers, power management units, flight control computers, landing gear controllers, and more. Join this dynamic development team to work with motivated engineers and advance the general aviation industry.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of avionics hardware and embedded software development and testing throughout the product lifecycle.
• Drive electrical architecture, specification, component selection, circuit board design, implementation, verification, and development.
• Collaborate with mechanical teams on interface requirements, housing, and placement considerations.
• Design test setups and perform hardware validation through benchtop and environmental testing.
• Test avionics systems and analyze off-nominal behaviors to determine root causes.
• Design and justify avionics system architecture to meet internal and certification standards.
• Manage parallel development threads with third-party contractors and manufacturing teams.
• Identify opportunities for risk reduction and system simplification.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in electrical, computer engineering, or related field.
• At least 1 year of experience in electronics hardware design.
• At least 1 year of experience with electrical test equipment and processes.
• At least 1 year of embedded software development experience.

Technical Skills / Experience

• Strong understanding of computers and programming languages such as Python, C/C++.
• Familiarity with aviation certification standards (DO-254, DO-178, DO-160, etc.).
• Experience with PCB design software like Altium.
• Experience managing hardware development projects from concept to completion.
• Ability to design and test analogue, digital, and mixed-signal circuits.
• Knowledge of model-based software development for embedded systems.
• Practical experience with digital communication interfaces such as RS232, RS485, SPI, I2C, CAN, ARINC 429, Ethernet.
• Knowledge of sensors and instrumentation for temperature, pressure, vibration, etc.
• Understanding of common circuit blocks like filters, power supplies, and microcontrollers.
• Familiarity with microcontrollers including STM32, TI C2000, NXP-iMX8, etc.
• Experience managing tasks and projects from start to finish.
• Self-motivated with strong multitasking, organizational, communication, and documentation skills.
• Experience with software testing tools such as static analysis, code coverage, and requirements compliance.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-performance environment.

Passion for Aviation

• Passion for advancing the general aviation industry.
• Knowledge of aviation principles and helicopter flight operations.

* This role requires daily on-site presence at our Production Centre One facility in Stafford, UK.