Digital Engineer

Job Description

This Principal Electronics Engineering vacancy presents an exciting opportunity for an ambitious individual to develop and grow their skills and knowledge within a thriving organisation.

In this broad electronic engineering role, you will work across a range of projects throughout various stages of the product lifecycle from initial concept development through to early life production and field support.

The role shall be based in either Southampton or Bristol with a primary focus on the design and development of digital processing electronics and support to RF and analogue power circuitry for complex laboratory and aircraft sensor systems.

You will be part of the Leonardo Airborne Communications product development group within the Integrated Sensing & Protection line of business, interacting with partner organisations, sub-contractors and potential customers.

Your Impact as a Digital Engineer

If successful, you will be responsible for:

• Design and development of mixed-technology electronic designs comprising of one or more Microcontrollers, CPLD and/or FPGA devices interfacing with RF and analogue circuits.
• Implementation of digital interfaces such as Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI and RS422 alongside high-speed optical fibre and Ethernet interfaces.
• Design and development of power and control boards requiring high safety ratings and designed for DO-160 qualification.

The role will focus on being the technical focal point for supporting our active and future airborne communication designs including occasional customer and wider supply chain liaison. Various opportunities to mentor, coach and develop junior members of the Integrated Project Team will be on offer to help expand and develop the electronics domain within the team.

What You’ll Bring

To be a successful applicant for the role, below are some of the key traits we are looking for, although it’s not necessary to have experience in everything:

• Knowledge and experience of product development lifecycles within a technology or defence related business.
• Practical hands-on experience of high-speed digital hardware circuit design, including schematic entry, component selection and generation of supporting design documentation.
• Experience of PCB prototyping, commissioning and fault-finding using electronic test and measurement equipment within an engineering laboratory environment.
• Experience of working with PCB layout personnel in an advisory capacity.
• Working knowledge of signal & power integrity alongside EMC and grounding best practices at PCB and system level.
• Experience of digital circuit design using FPGA’s, Microcontrollers and DDR/Flash memories.
• Experience of circuit design modelling and simulation tools.
• Experience of generating concise technical reports detailing design solutions, implementation rationale and test reports.
• Experience of following a design lifecycle process, such as participating in design reviews, which come with working in a high technology defence environment.
• A Degree in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline (Electronics Engineering preferred).
• As part of an electromechanical project, be willing to work closely with a mechanical team to create a product solution which addresses all design requirements.

It would be nice if you had:

• Analogue circuit design experience with knowledge/hands-on experience of op-amps, ADC’s and DAC driven reference supplies.
• RF circuit design experience with knowledge/hands-on experience of RF amplifiers, multiplexors and signal conditioning.
• Experience of providing support to embedded software and firmware teams.
• Experience of peer reviewing designs and support to system architects / system integration activities.
• Working knowledge of requirements management and design within DO-254.

The role will be mainly an office-based position using display screen equipment with intermittent work within a development lab and production areas.

Occasional travel within the UK and abroad shall be required for support activities.

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

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.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Key Skills/Competency

• Digital Hardware Design
• FPGA/Microcontroller Development
• RF & Analogue Circuitry
• PCB Design/Layout
• Signal Integrity
• EMC Practices
• DO-160/DO-254 Standards
• Product Lifecycle Management
• Technical Documentation
• Embedded Systems