Electronics Hardware Firmware Engineer

Cortech Talent Solutions

Bar Hill

On-site

GBP 65,000 - 90,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus scheme

Generous staff discounts on products

Socials and team lunches

Opportunity to impact growth

Job summary

Cortech Talent Solutions is seeking a Senior/Principal Electronics Hardware Design Engineer with low-level firmware skills to join a fast-growing Cambridge technology company. You will take hands-on ownership of electronics hardware and embedded firmware from concept through validation to mass production, including PCB routing and audio feature enhancements.

The role emphasizes practical problem solving, thorough documentation, and close collaboration with cross-functional teams to deliver

Qualifications

Hands-on experience in electronics and firmware design.
Degree in Electronics Engineering; industry experience valued.
Proven track record designing commercial products.
Schematic capture and PCB layout with Mentor Graphics PADS or similar.

Responsibilities

Take full ownership of electronics hardware and embedded firmware development from concept to final product.
Hands-on design, development and testing of electronics hardware and firmware across all products.
Evaluate new technologies relevant to product development.
Organise and manage EMC testing, including onsite test lab visits, rapid iteration of fixes, and delivering viable solutions to meet requirements.
Create and maintain complete design documentation — schematics, design notes, BOMs, PCB fabrication and assembly files, source code, programming instructions, and validation and verification documentation.
Troubleshoot faults at code, component and system level; root cause analysis and resolution.
Drive continuous improvement of existing products for performance, cost reduction and part obsolescence management.
Provide technical support to Quality, Repair and Customer Services functions.
Write technical requirements and reports; stay current with developments in technology and regulations.
Manage external electronics, firmware and software design contractors as required.

Skills

Electronics hardware design

Firmware development (bare-metal/RTOS)

Schematic capture & PCB layout

Problem solving & debugging

Education

Degree in Electronics Engineering

Tools

Mentor Graphics PADS

Job description

Role: Senior / Principal Electronics Hardware Design Engineer with Low-Level Firmware Skills

Location: Cambridge

Salary: Competitive, based on experience , we'll pay what we need for the right talent

We may also be able to sponsor

Below is a very long list of skills but we are open to hiring a either strong electronics design engineer or Firmware engineer so please get in touch even in you only have half of these skills!

About the Role

Join a fast-growing tech company where your designs will power real-world products used by thousands. We're on the hunt for a hands-on Electronics Hardware Design Engineer with low-level firmware skills, who thrives on solving complex problems, building from scratch, and delivering market-ready solutions.

An immediate piece of work involves enhancing the audio functionality of an existing product encompassing hardware changes, PCB re-routing, and firmware updates, all to commercial mass production quality. This will form the basis of your initial confirmation in role.

Who You Are

You are a motivated and passionate engineer with a strong interest in embedded software and electronics design. You enjoy writing code, building and simulating circuits, and have a good intuitive understanding of discrete components. You're organised, methodical, and take pride in doing things well.

You love debugging code, troubleshooting circuits, and always seek to understand the fundamental root cause when things don't work. You're capable of developing code from a blank slate or building on an existing codebase, and you understand the need for good documentation — you don't see it as an impediment. You're a team player who enjoys bouncing technical ideas with colleagues.

What You Bring

Hands-on experience in electronics and firmware design
Degree in Electronics Engineering (industry experience is valued above postgraduate academic qualifications)
Proven track record designing commercial products
Strong skills in schematic capture and PCB layout (Mentor Graphics PADS or similar)

Technical Expertise

Hardware

Transistor-level and analogue circuit design
Low-power DC-DC SMPS (under 50W)
LED drive circuits and standard high-speed microcontroller communication circuits (SPI, USB, etc.)
General analogue electronics design including small signal handling and processing
PCB layout, design from scratch, and EMC-compliant design
Prototyping, soldering fine-pitch components, and use of common lab equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers)

Firmware

Bare-metal and RTOS microcontroller development in C (not FPGA or application CPU)
Register-level understanding of microcontroller peripherals
Writing low-level drivers (SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, PWM)
Ability to write clean, non-blocking, maintainable and reusable code
Ability to add firmware features to existing codebases over time

Connectivity & IoT

Wi-Fi, BLE, MQTT

Quality & Compliance

Experience working within ISO 13485 or ISO 9001 quality systems
Awareness of validation and verification procedures
Familiarity with CE directives including MDR, EMC, RED and LVD (desirable)

Main Responsibilities

Take full ownership of electronics hardware and embedded firmware development, from concept to final product
Hands-on design, development and testing of electronics hardware and firmware across all products
Evaluate new technologies relevant to product development
Organise and manage EMC testing, including onsite test lab visits, rapid iteration of fixes, and delivering viable solutions to meet requirements
Create and maintain complete design documentation — schematics, design notes, BOMs, PCB fabrication and assembly files, source code, programming instructions, and validation and verification documentation
Troubleshoot faults at code, component and system level; root cause analysis and resolution
Drive continuous improvement of existing products for performance, cost reduction and part obsolescence management
Provide technical support to Quality, Repair and Customer Services functions
Write technical requirements and reports; stay current with developments in technology and regulations
Manage external electronics, firmware and software design contractors as required

Desirable Skills