Senior Hardware Design Engineer

MRL Consulting Group | Global Niche Technology Recruitment; England; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

MRL Consulting Group | Global Niche Technology Recruitment is seeking a Senior Hardware Design Engineer for ASIC and high-speed systems. The role involves leading hardware development from architecture and schematic design through PCB design, bring-up, validation, and ASIC characterization.

Applicants should have 8+ years in hardware design, a relevant engineering degree, and strong experience with high-speed SerDes, PDN, and signal integrity.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in hardware design for complex electronic systems.
• Degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering.
• Experience with EVBs for ASIC validation & characterisation.
• Experience with high-speed SerDes (26.4 Gbps+).
• Familiarity with UART, I2C, SPI, DDR, Ethernet.

Responsibilities

• Translate system requirements into hardware specifications and architecture.
• Design EVBs for ASIC validation, characterisation, and system integration.
• Develop high-speed clock distribution networks and power supply architectures.
• Design PDN with PI, decoupling, transient response, and IR drop analysis.
• Create schematics using Cadence OrCAD Capture, Allegro, or equivalent.
• Define PCB stack-ups, HDI technology, and multilayer PCB requirements.
• Collaborate with PCB layout teams and conduct schematic, placement, routing, and layout reviews.
• Perform signal integrity analysis for critical digital signals.
• Support prototype bring-up, hardware debugging, validation, and characterisation.
• Develop test plans, validation procedures, and technical documentation.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues and support DFM/DFT reviews and production ramp-up.

Skills

8+ years experience

System-level design

High-speed SerDes

Clock distribution

Power integrity

Troubleshooting

Debugging hardware

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering

Tools

Cadence OrCAD Capture

Allegro PCB Designer

HDI design tools

Job description

Senior Hardware Design Engineer – ASIC & High-Speed Systems

We are seeking an experienced Senior Hardware Design Engineer to join a leading technology organisation specialising in satellite communications, ASICs, high-speed electronics, and advanced communication systems.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on complex, high-performance electronic systems, leading hardware development from architecture and schematic design through to PCB design, board bring-up, validation, and ASIC characterisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate system requirements into detailed hardware specifications and architecture.
• Design evaluation boards (EVBs) for ASIC validation, characterisation, and system integration.
• Develop high-speed clock distribution networks and power supply architectures.
• Design and optimise Power Distribution Networks (PDN), including power integrity, decoupling, transient response, and IR drop analysis.
• Create schematics using Cadence OrCAD Capture, Allegro, or equivalent EDA tools.
• Define PCB stack-ups, HDI technology, and multilayer PCB requirements.
• Collaborate with PCB layout teams and conduct schematic, placement, routing, and layout reviews.
• Perform signal integrity analysis for critical digital signals.
• Support prototype bring-up, hardware debugging, validation, and characterisation.
• Develop test plans, validation procedures, and technical documentation.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues and support DFM/DFT reviews and production ramp-up.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in hardware design and development of complex electronic systems.
• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Strong understanding of hardware architecture and system-level design.
• Proven experience designing EVBs for ASIC validation and characterisation.
• Experience with high-speed SerDes; data rates of 26.4 Gbps or higher are highly desirable.
• Knowledge of high-frequency RF analogue design; experience with circuits operating at 10 GHz and above is advantageous.
• Experience with MCU and microprocessor-based hardware design.
• Familiarity with UART, I²C, SPI, SDIO, DDR, and Ethernet interfaces.
• Strong knowledge of clock distribution, power supply design, power sequencing, and high-current power delivery.
• Experience with power integrity, PDN optimisation, IR drop analysis, and signal integrity.
• Proficiency with Cadence OrCAD Capture, Allegro, or equivalent PCB design tools.
• Experience reviewing high-speed, power integrity, and RF PCB layouts.

Lab & Debugging Skills

Hands-on experience with board bring-up, hardware validation, and debugging, including proficiency with:

• Spectrum analysers
• Signal analysers
• Vector Network Analysers (VNA)
• Power analysers

Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills are essential.

Why Join?

Join a collaborative, innovative engineering team developing advanced technologies that support the future of satellite communications and high-performance electronic systems. You will have the opportunity to work on technically challenging projects, contribute to cutting-edge product development, and make a meaningful impact within a global technology organisation.