Lead Hardware Engineer

We are seeking experienced, SC Cleared Lead Hardware Engineers for an initial 6 months contract assignment to support the development of next-generation Electronic Warfare and Defensive Aids Systems deployed on fast jets, helicopters, UAVs, naval and land-based platforms.

The role is working 4 days on site based in Luton, 1 day remote. You must hold current, active SC Clearance.

This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving complex technical challenges involving high-speed digital design, FPGA-based architectures, signal processing, hardware integration and system qualification within a highly regulated defence environment.

Working within multi-disciplinary engineering teams, you will contribute across the complete development lifecycle-from requirements analysis and architecture definition through detailed design, integration, qualification and customer acceptance.

You will be designing advanced electronic hardware that delivers mission-critical capability to frontline operators.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Design and develop complex digital and mixed-signal hardware solutions for defence and aerospace applications.
• Define hardware architectures for FPGA, SoC and processor-based systems.
• Capture schematics and support PCB layout activities for high-speed, high-performance digital designs.
• Design and verify high-speed interfaces including DDR memory, PCIe, Ethernet and similar protocols.
• Integrate FPGA, processor, software and firmware components into complete system solutions.
• Perform design analysis, simulation, validation and verification activities.
• Support hardware bring-up, debugging and root-cause investigation at board and system level.
• Work closely with Systems, Firmware, Software, RF, Mechanical and Production Engineering teams.
• Support environmental, EMC/EMI and qualification testing in accordance with defence and aerospace standards.
• Produce technical documentation, design evidence and progress reporting in accordance with structured engineering lifecycles.
• Support customer demonstrations, integration activities, acceptance testing and trials.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience designing high-speed digital electronics within aerospace, defence or other safety/mission-critical industries.
• Strong background in FPGA and SoC-based hardware architectures (Xilinx, AMD, Intel/Altera or equivalent).

• Experience designing complex multilayer PCBs incorporating:

• High-speed serial interfaces
• High-performance processors
• DDR memory subsystems
• FPGA-based signal processing solutions

Hands-on experience with schematic capture and PCB design tools such as:

• Altium Designer
• Xpedition/Expedition
• OrCAD
• Similar industry-standard tools

Practical board-level debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analysers, spectrum analysers and protocol analysers.

Experience integrating hardware, firmware and software on complex Embedded systems.

Strong understanding of signal integrity, power integrity and timing considerations in high-speed digital designs.

Experience developing products to demanding EMC, EMI and environmental requirements.

Ability to interpret, decompose and implement system requirements into robust hardware solutions.

Experience supporting verification, validation and qualification activities.

Ideal Contractor Profile

You are an experienced hardware designer who can quickly integrate into a programme team, take ownership of technical work packages and deliver robust, high-performance digital hardware solutions. You are comfortable working from system requirements through design, integration, verification and qualification, and have a strong track record of delivering FPGA-centric, high-speed digital electronics in demanding engineering environments.