Electrical Lead Design Engineer

STS Defence; Gosport; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

STS Defence Ltd. seeks an Electrical Lead Design Engineer to guide a team of engineers and technicians in delivering high‑quality electrical designs for defence projects. You will mentor juniors, set technical direction, and coordinate with management to balance workloads and keep programmes on track.

You will collaborate with customers and suppliers to ensure on‑time, on‑budget delivery while upholding robust engineering processes and product quality across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field.
• Strong engineering principles and processes understanding.
• Ability to mentor and guide junior engineers.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with customers and suppliers is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction and engineering leadership for the team.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers.
• Contribute to design and development of new products and features.
• Ensure engineering processes are followed.
• Maintain product quality and drive process improvements.
• Collaborate with other leads to meet requirements on time and budget.

Skills

Team leadership

Mentoring

Design leadership

Customer collaboration

Project management

3D modelling

Problem solving

Communication

Time management

Standards knowledge

Flexible learning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

AutoDesk Inventor

AutoCAD Electrical

Altium Designer

Job description

As the Electrical Lead Design Engineer, you will play a key leadership role, combining deep technical expertise with hands-on team leadership. You will mentor and guide junior engineers, set technical direction, and drive the design and development of new products and features. Working closely with project management and lead engineers across disciplines, you will plan and balance team workloads, track requirements, and keep programmes moving forward.

You will collaborate directly with customers and suppliers to deliver products to qualification on time and within budget, while championing strong engineering processes to ensure consistent product quality. In this role, you will lead a team of four to eight engineers and technicians and report directly to the Head of Design.

Duties

• Providing technical direction and engineering leadership for a team of engineers
• Mentoring and guiding junior engineers
• Contributing to the design and development of new products and features
• Ensuring that engineering processes are followed
• Maintaining product quality
• Contribute to the continuing improvement of processes and procedures
• Work with other technical leads and project teams to meet requirements on time and within budget

Skills/Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related field
• Strong understanding of engineering principles and processes
• Ability to mentor and guide junior engineers
• Strong technical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Experience or working with customers and suppliers
• Good time management
• Strong 3D modelling and simulation skills
• Knowledge of a breadth of standards and an understanding of what is involved in achieving them
• A flexible approach to work and a desire to learn and incorporate novel engineering techniques into design solutions

Desirable

• Experience of AutoDesk Inventor and related products
• Experience of AutoCAD electrical & Altium design software
• Previous leadership experience
• Knowledge of environmental, shock and vibration testing requirements and how to meet them
• Experience of working systems engineering and the engineering 'V' model
• Defence and/or Aerospace sector experience preferred
• Working knowledge of ISO9001/AS9100 business management system
• Commitment to quality
• Open and collaborative style where ideas are shared and challenged

Additional Information

SECURITY – All candidates must be in a position to obtain UK security clearance to SC level. Additional restrictions may apply on certain defence programmes.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)