Principal Hardware Engineer I

CesiumAstro; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CesiumAstro in Cambridge, UK, invites applications for a Principal Hardware Engineer I to lead end-to-end hardware development of complex electronics for space and aerospace platforms. You will drive architecture, schematics, PCB layouts, and verification, while mentoring engineers and coordinating with software and mechanical teams.

The role demands hands-on work across concept, design, layout, build, test, and delivery, with opportunities for technical leadership and high-impact contributions

Qualifications

• BS degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• 9+ years of industry or university research experience in board-level electronics design, analysis, and test.
• Experience with high-reliability space/defense electronics, including derating and thermal constraints.
• Experience owning the design phase of complex board-level electronics.
• Experience delivering hardware through production and deployment.
• PCB layout expertise, HDI stackups, and IPC standards.
• Ability to derisk designs with signal and power integrity simulations (SIwave, SIPro, Hyperlynx).
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with software and mechanical teams.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design of complex electronics modules and systems from concept to production.
• Lead teams of hardware engineers to develop products with multiple modules.
• Develop hardware architecture and write hardware requirements for complex systems.
• Create detailed schematics and PCB layouts for high-density boards in Altium Designer.
• Perform worst-case, signal integrity, and power integrity analyses and guide methodology.
• Develop bring-up plans and verification plans for new hardware and systems.
• Execute bring-up and verification testing with a team to validate designs.
• Release modules to production in collaboration with M&T teams.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers to build expertise and growth.
• Collaborate with adjacent software and mechanical engineers to streamline development.

Job description

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Principal Hardware Engineer I to our team. If you are great at what you do, enjoy working in a startup environment, and are passionate about developing leading-edge electronics for satellites, spacecraft, and aerospace systems, we would like to hear from you.

At the Principal level, you will be tasked with full-stack hardware development for complex modules and hardware systems. You will have the opportunity to start at concept development and progress through detailed design, analysis, layout, build, test, and delivery, doing hands-on work at each phase. The Principal level also includes technical leadership opportunities, gaining responsibility for critical designs and teams of engineers developing new products and systems.

At a small company and a startup, your work will make direct contributions to the success of the business. The work is challenging and impactful, requiring both breadth and depth of technical knowledge. Our products are made for high-reliability space and airborne applications, so designs require high levels of technical rigor while maintaining the agility of a startup environment.

The successful candidate will also present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design of complex electronics modules and systems, from concept and architecture through schematic, layout, test, and production. Products may include high-speed digital, power electronics, and/or RF.
• Lead teams of hardware engineers to develop new products with multiple electronics modules.
• Provide subject matter expertise in support of hardware development across the company.
• Develop hardware architecture and write hardware requirements for systems of high complexity.
• Perform detailed and complete schematic design for complex boards, ranging from key components to supporting passives.
• Perform detailed PCB layout in Altium Designer for complex boards, often working with a PCB Drafter.
• Complete analysis such as worst-case circuit analysis, signal integrity analysis, and power integrity analysis. Guide analysis methodology.
• Develop bring-up plans and design verification plans for new hardware and complex systems.
• Perform bring-up and key verification testing of modules and complex integrated systems, often working with a team to complete validation.
• Release modules and assemblies to production, working with the Manufacturing and Test Engineering teams.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers to build technical understanding and professional development.
• Use strong working knowledge of adjacent fields, such as software and mechanical, to streamline development of complex hardware systems.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (BS) degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 9 years of industry or university research experience in board-level electronics design, analysis, and test.
• Direct experience designing high-reliability electronics and small systems for space or defense applications, including part derating, worst-case analysis, and thermal constraints.
• Experience owning the design phase of complex board-level electronics and small hardware systems, including architecture design, trade studies, key part selection, and detailed design.
• Multiple experiences delivering hardware products through production and deployment.
• Expertise in PCB layout and manufacturing, including high-density interconnect (HDI) stackup design, IPC standards, and industry best practices.
• Expertise derisking designs with board-level signal integrity and/or power integrity simulation tools such as Ansys SIwave, ADS SIPro, or Mentor Hyperlynx.
• Strong understanding of adjacent fields, such as software and mechanical, that contributes to judicious design of hardware system architectures.
• Expert-level proficiency in electronics design tools such as Altium.
• Extensive lab experience for bring-up and verification of new hardware, based on in-depth understanding of specialized lab equipment.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience leading teams of hardware engineers to develop multi-module assemblies, including hardware architecture, requirements, and interconnects.
• Design for space radiation environments.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

Please be aware that many roles will be subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors including new starter’s nationality, any previous or dual nationalities held, place of birth and country of residence may limit those roles that you can perform for the organisation.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.