Hardware Engineer

Sanderson Government & Defence; England; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence and national-security organisation in Kent is seeking a talented Electronic & Hardware Engineer to join their team. The role involves designing, developing, and testing advanced electronic systems for defence applications, while ensuring compliance with stringent defence standards. Candidates should have a degree in Electronics or related fields and experience with PCB design tools. The position offers full-time employment within a secure environment, suitable for individuals eligible for UK security clearance.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Hardware Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with PCB schematic capture and layout tools.
• Strong understanding of analogue and/or digital circuit design.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop electronic hardware for mission‑critical defence systems.
• Produce schematics and layouts for high‑reliability environments.
• Support prototype builds and formal verification activities.

Skills

PCB schematic capture

Signal processing

Analogue circuit design

Digital circuit design

Embedded hardware

Education

Degree in Electronics or related field

Tools

Altium

Mentor

KiCad

Cadence

Job description

Electronic & Hardware Engineer – Defence Sector

Location: Kent

Security Clearance: Must be eligible for (or hold) UK SC or DV clearance

About the Company

Our client is a leading defence and national-security organisation developing next‑generation mission‑critical systems that safeguard people, assets, and infrastructure worldwide. They deliver high‑integrity electronic and hardware solutions for land, sea, air, and space platforms, working at the forefront of innovation where reliability, safety, and performance are paramount.

The Role

We are seeking talented Electronic and Hardware Engineers to join a growing multi‑disciplinary team responsible for the design, development, testing, and integration of advanced electronic systems for defence applications.

You will work across the full product lifecycle—concept, schematic, PCB design, prototyping, verification, and qualification—contributing to cutting‑edge capabilities used by armed forces and government agencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop electronic hardware for robust, mission‑critical defence systems.
• Produce schematics, layouts, and component selections for high‑reliability environments.
• Carry out circuit simulation, signal integrity analysis, and power budgeting.
• Support prototype build, bring‑up, debugging, and formal verification activities.
• Work closely with firmware, software, and systems engineers to deliver integrated solutions.
• Ensure compliance with defence standards (e.g., DEF STAN, MIL‑STD, EMC, environmental).
• Create technical documentation, test reports, and design artefacts.
• Participate in design reviews and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Hardware Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with PCB schematic capture and layout tools (e.g., Altium, Mentor, KiCad, Cadence).
• Strong understanding of analogue and/or digital circuit design.
• Knowledge of signal processing, embedded hardware, power electronics, or RF (advantageous).
• Experience working within safety‑critical, secure, or regulated engineering environments.
• Eligibility for UK Security Clearance.

Seniority level

• Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Defense and Space Manufacturing