Principal Integrated Circuit Engineer - IC Design

Leonardo; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Leonardo in Southampton seeks a Principal Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer to help design and manufacture infrared imaging products for remote sensing and thermal imaging. You will work in a mixed-signal IC team at transistor, cell and block levels to translate requirements into verifiable solutions.

The role offers hybrid working with flexibility, and opportunities to lead junior engineers and contribute to full ROIC design flows and verification across the project lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer working with CMOS ICs or Readout ICs.
• Strong analogue, mixed signal and/or Digital IC design skills based on formal qualifications and experience gained from working on complex IC designs.
• Experience in transistor/block level layout design.
• Block level designing and schematic capture from scratch with simulation of final architecture.
• Cadence IC design tool suite experience.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience leading more junior members of the team.

Responsibilities

• Working to design specifications.
• Completing mixed signal design and development tasks.
• Generating and executing rigorous design verification tasks.
• Generating and capturing verification evidence.
• Working to design processes and procedures.
• Completing design validation from manufactured samples.
• Preparing technical documentation and reports.

Skills

Analog IC design

Mixed-signal design

Digital IC design

Transistor/block layout design

Schematic capture

Simulation

Team leadership

Education

Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Cadence

Job description

Job Description:

Your Impact

Leonardo has a fantastic new opportunity for a Principal Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer who will help design and manufacture world class infrared imaging products for use in remote sensing and thermal imaging applications; including earth observation, border surveillance, search and track systems and laboratory equipment.

The role will be based at our purpose-built facility in Southampton and offered as a hybrid style position with employee flexibility in mind.

The successful candidate will join our mixed-signal IC design team where they will work at transistor, cell and/or block level to translate design requirements into verifiable design solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Working to design specifications.
• Completing mixed signal design and development tasks.
• Generating and executing rigorous design verification tasks.
• Generating and capturing verification evidence.
• Working to design processes and procedures.
• Completing design validation from manufactured samples.li>
• Preparing technical documentation and reports.

Skills and Experience

Required:

• Proven experience as an Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Engineer working with CMOS ICs or Readout ICs.
• Strong analogue, mixed signal and/or Digital IC design skills based on formal qualifications and experience gained from working on complex IC designs.
• Experience in transistor/block level layout design.
• Block level designing and schematic capture from scratch with simulation of final architecture.
• Cadence IC design tool suite experience.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience leading more junior members of the team.

Desirable:

• Imaging device / product experience.
• Experience of leading projects and/or small teams.
• Experience of full ROIC design flow from block level to chip level design.
• Customer interfacing experience.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge:Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future:Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters:Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend:Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working:Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location:

GB - Southampton

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid