Digital Electronics Hardware Engineer

Hernshead Recruitment Ltd; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment agency is seeking a Senior/Principal Digital Hardware Engineer to design and test high-speed digital electronics for airborne radar systems. This role offers hybrid working after initial familiarisation, and requires UK citizenship for SC clearance. Ideal candidates will have over 5 years of experience in digital design, particularly with FPGAs and microprocessors, along with a degree in Electronics Engineering.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in high-speed digital design.
• Strong knowledge of PCIe, Ethernet, and DDR3/DDR4.
• Experience with schematic capture and circuit-level simulation.

Responsibilities

• Create robust high-speed digital hardware designs.
• Support integration and verification.
• Coordinate technical activities and liaise with teams.

Skills

High-speed digital design

FPGAs

Microprocessors

Signal termination

Controlled impedance

Debugging skills

Team leadership

Education

Degree in Electronics Engineering

Tools

HyperLynx

Mentor/Siemens DxDesigner

Job description

About this Position

Senior/Principal Digital Hardware Engineer to design, commission, and test high-speed digital electronics (PCAs) for airborne radar systems. Based on site in Edinburgh with hybrid working after initial familiarisation. Opportunity to supervise junior engineers. UK citizenship required to obtain SC clearance (current SC is an advantage). Degree (BSc/BEng/MSc/MEng) in Electronics Engineering or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Create robust high-speed digital hardware designs and documentation.
• Support integration and verification at hardware and system level.
• Maintain configuration control and provide clear progress reporting.
• Analyse system requirements and derive detailed hardware requirements.
• Debug and test new hardware; present designs at peer/formal reviews.
• Coordinate day-to-day technical activities and liaise with manufacturing, production, and suppliers.
• Guide PCB layout engineers on high-speed designs.

Experience Required

• 5+ years' high-speed digital design with FPGAs and/or microprocessors.
• Strong knowledge of PCIe, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), SPI, I²C, and DDR3/DDR4.
• High-speed design techniques: signal termination, controlled impedance, length matching, planes, decoupling.
• Hands-on HW/FW/SW bring-up on FPGA/microprocessor PCAs.
• Board-level SI/PI analysis (HyperLynx or equivalent).
• Schematic capture (Mentor/Siemens DxDesigner or similar); circuit-level simulation and timing constraints.
• Experience working with PCB layout, requirements capture/management, and formal verification.
• Proven debugging, test, and documentation skills; aerospace/defence or other high-reliability systems experience beneficial.
• Team leadership/supervision experience; familiarity with VHDL and C (Assembler a plus).