Principal Test Engineer

Leonardo UK Ltd; Basildon; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 71,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Pension scheme 15% employer contrib.

Flexible benefits up to £500

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd seeks a Principal Test Engineer in Basildon to develop and support electro-optical test equipment for Precision Guidance products. You will work within the test engineering team to specify, design, integrate, and verify test solutions across optical, thermal, electronic and software components.

The role is hands-on with production support duties and requires broad technical knowledge, strong problem solving, and collaborative teamwork across engineering disciplines.

Qualifications

• Essential HND or above, in system or electrical engineering.
• Experience in electrical test and electro-optics is desirable.
• Able to interpret test requirements and define test strategies.

Responsibilities

• Interpret product test requirements and define a test strategy and plan.
• Define a test system and generate work packages with cost estimates.
• Build, commission and verify new test solutions.
• Support production with test-system issues and root-cause analysis.

Skills

Electro-optics

LabVIEW

MATLAB

ECAD tools

Mechanical design

Soldering SMT

Test engineering

Communication skills

Education

HND or above in electrical engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

MATLAB

ECAD tools

Job description

Job Description: Salary: £53, 260 to £71,400 Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Leonardo is a world-leading high‑tech company and one of the key players in Aerospace, Defence and Security. The products developed at Basildon have widespread uses in industrial and civil applications as well as fulfilling many military requirements. 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.

Your impact:

As a Principal Test Engineer, you will support the design, development, and ongoing support of electro‑optical test equipment and test processes for Leonardo’s range of Precision Guidance products – from early development through to production. You will work as part of the test engineering team, contributing to the specification, design, integration, and verification of test solutions. This includes working on a variety of systems incorporating optical, thermal, electronic, and software components. The role is hands‑on and requires a broad technical understanding. You’ll also provide support to production teams and contribute to resolving test‑related issues on existing systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Interpretation of product test requirements to:
• Define a test strategy and plan
• Define a test system
• Generate work packages and estimate the cost to deliver said plan across multiple functions
• Generation, co‑ordination and execution of work packages, from bid through to project completion, to cost, quality and time, with appropriate level of procedural governance.
• Build, commissioning and verification of new test solutions.
• Development testing of product with an understanding of environmental stress screening and production lifespan.
• Preparation of technical documentation including user instructions.
• Support to test system related issues in production and investigation of root cause of detector faults returned from the field.

Key Skills and Experience required

Essential HND or above, in system or electrical engineering

Experience of one or more of the following areas:

• Electrical test, , Electro‑optics.
• Understanding optoelectronic devices and systems, such as lasers and photodetectors, is highly desired in the field.
• Ability to assimilate and apply technical information to design tasks and to problem solving
• Ability to validate and qualify new mechanical designs under different environmental conditions
• Practical ‘hands on’ laboratory test, diagnostic and measurement experience, including electro‑optical instrumentation
• Demonstrate evidence of good organisation, planning and execution of work
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to work closely in a team with other engineering and science disciplines
• Good Communication and customer liaison skills.
• Careful Measurement and analytical skills.

Desirable Test Software Experience, LabVIEW, MATLAB or similar

Experience of soldering surface mount components

Experience of mechanical design

Experience of using industry standard ECAD tools

Understanding of how the operating environment influences the design

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

If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Why join us

• 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.

Primary Location: GB - Basildon

Contract Type: Permanent

Hybrid Working: Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo. The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know‑how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!