Lead Hardware Engineer

ALTEN; Luton; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Ltd seeks a Lead Hardware Engineer to join their Luton team, focusing on high-speed mixed-signal hardware for aerospace and defense applications. This role involves leading a team, supporting junior engineers, and ensuring compliance with safety-critical standards. Successful candidates will have extensive experience in electronics engineering and a passion for engineering innovation.

Benefits

Private Medical Insurance

Pension Scheme

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Flexible working hours

Social atmosphere and team gatherings

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience in hardware/electronics engineering, ideally in aerospace or safety-critical environments.
• Proven ability to develop high-quality, compliant designs.
• Familiarity with safety-critical design practices and EMC considerations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the hardware team ensuring tasks are met on time with high professionalism.
• Assist in the support and development of junior team members.
• Lead the design and development of high-performance mixed-signal hardware.

Skills

Analogue/Digital Circuit Design

Hardware Verification

System Integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline

Master's in a relevant engineering discipline

Tools

Altium

OrCAD

Mentor Graphics

Job description

Company Description

Are you passionate about engineering? Do you want to make a difference?

You could be one of our 54k+ colleagues in over 30 countries working on inspiring projects in the most innovative companies.

Join us and start building tomorrow's world today!

Job Description

What will you be doing?

Join ALTEN Ltd, a leading engineering consultancy partnering on critical technology programmes within the defence and aerospace sectors. As a Lead Hardware Engineer in our Luton team, you will be supporting the development of cutting-edge signal processing and control systems for a next-generation programme, where high-speed mixed-signal hardware meets mission-critical design. As the lead engineer in the team, you will also be responsible in the efficient and professional running of the project. If you're passionate about pushing the limits of hardware performance and thrive in safety-critical environments, this is your opportunity to shape real-world impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the hardware team in ensuring that all tasks and duties are met on time to a high level of professionalism
• Assist in the support and development of junior team members to continue to grow the potential of both yourself at a management level and your team members and engineers
• Lead the design and development of high-performance mixed-signal hardware, integrating FPGAs, SoCs, ADC/DAC, and memory components.
• Produce schematic capture, layout, and simulation models using tools such as Siemens NX.
• Perform hardware verification and validation, including debugging, lab testing, and support for system-level integration.
• Develop and apply Design for EMC/EMI and other DfX principles across the lifecycle.
• Work alongside systems, firmware, and software teams to deliver integrated solutions to military-grade standards.
• Ensure all designs meet applicable safety-critical regulations, including DO-160 and DO-254, and contribute to FMEA activities.

Who are we looking for?

• 10+ years' experience in hardware/electronics engineering, ideally in aerospace or safety-critical environments.
• Proven ability to develop high-quality, compliant designs in alignment with DO-160 / DO-254 standards.
• Strong background in analogue/digital circuit design, hardware verification, and system integration.
• Experience with Altium, OrCAD, or Mentor Graphics for schematic and PCB development.
• Familiarity with safety-critical design practices, EMC/thermal considerations, and root cause analysis.
• Understanding of DFM/DFA principles, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle documentation.

You are...

• Passionate about engineering
• result-oriented
• proactive

Qualifications

Mandatory Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline (Master's preferred) OR Military/Armed Forces background in a technical or systems engineering role is equally valued.
• Minimum of SC Cleared or full eligibility to obtain UK SC Clearance.
• Full ability to have an average on-site presence of at least 3 days per week.
• Any proven experience of any type of team leadership will be advantageous to your application

Additional Information

Why join us?

We foster a community of dually talented individuals who are both entrepreneurs and technology specialists. Our teams embody the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, enabling us to develop solutions most efficiently.

Our commitment to sustainable growth is unwavering, and we continuously strive for accelerated transformation and continuous improvement. Through ALTEN labs, mentoring programs, internal universities, and more, we are always pushing boundaries and embracing new possibilities.

We offer incredible opportunities to join inspiring projects in the most innovative companies.

We prioritise your career development with personalised support plans tailored to your own aspirations. We're here to empower you and help you reach your full potential.

Join our passionate team and start building tomorrow, today!

In short you get:

• A personalised career path and a rewarding management style
• A chance to work on the most exciting engineering projects and technologies along with Premium Customers
• A huge diversity of engineering projects and industries
• A competitive salary
• Private Medical Insurance
• Pension Scheme
• Cycle-to-work Scheme among many additional benefits
• Social atmosphere, regular gatherings, and team buildings
• Flexible way of working (role dependent)

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