Principal Electronics Engineer

Oxford Instruments Plc; Frithsden; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxford Instruments Plc is seeking a Principal Electronics Engineer (analogue) to help architect and deliver high‑performance electronics for our electron microscopy solutions. You’ll lead complex analog, digital, and FPGA developments in a multidisciplinary R&D team.

The role emphasizes mentoring engineers, maintaining robust documentation, and ensuring smooth transfer to manufacturing, with a focus on low‑noise, precision designs used in detectors and data acquisition.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in electronics system design (analogue, digital, power).
• Expertise in low-noise design and signal integrity—ideally in instrumentation or sensing applications.
• Experience with FPGA development and embedded systems.
• Proven ability to design complex multilayer PCBs.
• A hands-on engineer who thrives solving complex technical challenges.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of electronics design solutions across new product development projects.
• Design analogue, digital, and low-noise circuitry supporting precision detectors and acquisition systems.
• Develop and validate designs through simulation, prototyping, and rigorous testing.
• Write embedded code and contribute to FPGA development (VHDL) for high-speed data handling.
• Collaborate closely with physicists, software engineers, and system architects.
• Provide go to expertise on electronics issues for the wider technology team.
• Mentor colleagues to develop their skills in using electronics tools and methodologies.
• Support transfer to manufacturing and ensure robust, maintainable documentation.

Skills

Electronics design

Low-noise design

FPGA development

Embedded systems

PCB design

Tools

VHDL

Job description

instrumentation.The opportunity

You'll play a key role in developing sophisticated electronics that sit at the heart of our electron microscopy solutions-where precision, signal integrity, and low-noise design are mission-critical.Working in a multidisciplinary R&D team, you'll design, test, and deliver advanced electronics systems that directly impact how our customers visualise and analyse the microscopic world.You will also be instrumental in developing the skills and competencies within the electronics team, helping to mentor more junior engineers to fulfil their potential.

What you’ll do

• Take ownership of electronics design solutions across new product development projects
• Design analogue, digital, and low-noise circuitry supporting precision detectors and acquisition systems
• Develop and validate designs through simulation, prototyping, and rigorous testing
• Write embedded code and contribute to FPGA development (VHDL) for high-speed data handling
• Collaborate closely with physicists, software engineers, and system architects
• Provide "go to" expertise on electronics issues for the wider technology team.
• Mentor colleagues to develop their skills in using electronics tools and methodologies.
• Support transfer to manufacturing and ensure robust, maintainable documentation

What we’re looking for

• Strong experience in electronics system design (analogue, digital, power)
• Expertise in low-noise design and signal integrity-ideally in instrumentation or sensing applications
• Experience with FPGA development and embedded systems
• Proven ability to design complex multilayer PCBs
• A hands-on engineer who thrives solving complex technical challenges#LI-AG1

Materials Analysis is an Oxford Instruments Business Unit that manages our Electron Microscopy and Mechanical Microscopy products, Atomic Force Microscopes, Raman Microscopes and Benchtop NMR Products. We are part of the wider Oxford Instruments Group that also includes Andor Technology, Plasma Technology and X-Ray Technology. With a sixty-year history, and fourteen Queen's Awards for Enterprise, our world-class products and technologies are helping our customers to address the greatest challenges of the 21st century.At Oxford Instruments, we enable the world's leading scientists and engineers to explore materials at the nanoscale. Within our NanoAnalysis business, our systems power electron microscopy techniques such as SEM and TEM-unlocking elemental and structural insights across industries from semiconductor development to clean energy.Now, we're looking for a Principal Electronics Engineer (analgoue) to help architect and design the next generation of high-performance analytical