Senior Design Engineer - Electronics/Instrumentation

Catalyst; Peterlee; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Catalyst in the United Kingdom (County Durham area) seeks a Senior Design Engineer to join its R&D team. You will drive electronics design from concept through prototyping to production, covering analogue/digital circuits, PCB design, and embedded systems integration.

You will lead technical work, ensure regulatory compliance, and work with cross-functional teams to meet schedules and budgets. Chartered status or progression is welcomed.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of analogue and digital circuit design.
• Experience using electronic design tools such as Altium, OrCAD, Eagle, or equivalent.
• Knowledge of PCB design principles and design for manufacture (DFM).
• Experience of product testing, validation, and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with EMC, CE, UKCA, UL, or other relevant regulatory requirements.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards professional registration.
• Experience with embedded systems and microcontroller-based designs.
• Knowledge of RF, wireless communications, or power electronics.
• Experience within automotive, aerospace, industrial, medical, or consumer electronics sectors.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Support the Design development for their range of NPD, using C, C++.
• Lead the design and development of electronic products, assemblies, and systems.
• Produce electronic schematics, PCB layouts, design calculations, and technical specifications.
• Designing to IEC/BS standards.
• Develop analogue, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronic circuits as required.
• Support embedded hardware integration and work closely with software engineers during product development.
• Ensure designs comply with relevant industry standards, customer specifications, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct design reviews, risk assessments, and failure mode analysis.
• Manage design projects from concept through prototyping, testing, and production release.
• Develop project plans, monitor progress, and ensure delivery within agreed timescales and budgets.
• Coordinate activities with manufacturing, quality, procurement, and supply chain teams.
• Provide technical leadership and support to junior engineers and technicians.
• Define and execute product verification and validation plans.
• Analyse test results, troubleshoot technical issues, and implement corrective actions.
• Support environmental, EMC, safety, and reliability testing.
• Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned and root cause analysis.
• Liaise directly with customers to understand technical requirements and provide engineering solutions.
• Present design concepts, progress updates, and technical reports to stakeholders.
• Support customer visits, audits, and technical reviews.
• Contribute to engineering best practices, design standards, and innovation initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, product enhancement, and manufacturing efficiency.

Skills

Analogue design

Digital design

Embedded systems

Project management

Stakeholder management

Technical leadership

Regulatory compliance

Problem solving

Education

Electronics Engineering degree

Tools

Altium

OrCAD

Eagle

Job description

My client is a County Durham based, market-leading designer and manufacturer of electronics; specialising in instrumentation products utilised across the industrial, engineering and manufacturing sectors. Reporting to the R&D Director, my client seeks a Senior Design Engineer to join their R&D function.

The Senior Design Engineer will be primarily responsible for playing an integral role in specification writing, designing to IEC/BS standards, product development/delivery, engineering mathematics, simulation, PCB CAD, circuit design, research, and development.

Main Responsibilities

• Support the Design development for their range of NPD, using C,C++
• Lead the design and development of electronic products, assemblies, and systems.
• Produce electronic schematics, PCB layouts, design calculations, and technical specifications.
• Designing to IEC/BS standards
• Develop analogue, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronic circuits as required.
• Support embedded hardware integration and work closely with software engineers during product development.
• Ensure designs comply with relevant industry standards, customer specifications, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct design reviews, risk assessments, and failure mode analysis.
• Manage design projects from concept through prototyping, testing, and production release.
• Develop project plans, monitor progress, and ensure delivery within agreed timescales and budgets.
• Coordinate activities with manufacturing, quality, procurement, and supply chain teams.
• Provide technical leadership and support to junior engineers and technicians.
• Define and execute product verification and validation plans.
• Analyse test results, troubleshoot technical issues, and implement corrective actions.
• Support environmental, EMC, safety, and reliability testing.
• Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned and root cause analysis.
• Liaise directly with customers to understand technical requirements and provide engineering solutions.
• Present design concepts, progress updates, and technical reports to stakeholders.
• Support customer visits, audits, and technical reviews.
• Contribute to engineering best practices, design standards, and innovation initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction, product enhancement, and manufacturing efficiency.

About You

To be considered for the role, it is essential that you possess demonstrable electronics design and NPD experience combined with a good understanding of mechanical design principals, tolerances and materials selection. You will be educated to Degree level in an appropriate discipline.

Key Selection Criteria

• Strong understanding of analogue and digital circuit design.
• Experience using electronic design tools such as Altium, OrCAD, Eagle, or equivalent.
• Knowledge of PCB design principles and design for manufacture (DFM).
• Experience of product testing, validation, and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with EMC, CE, UKCA, UL, or other relevant regulatory requirements.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards professional registration.
• Experience with embedded systems and microcontroller-based designs.
• Knowledge of RF, wireless communications, or power electronics.
• Experience within automotive, aerospace, industrial, medical, or consumer electronics sectors.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing business that is part of a larger European group, with ambitious growth plans to double in size.