Principal Electronics Design Engineer, Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom

Principal Electronics Design Engineer

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UK Talent Coordinator - Spectrum Control

Description:

Are you an experienced electronics design engineer looking to make a real impact in the aerospace sector? We’re seeking a Principal Electronics Design Engineer to lead the design and development of high-reliability airborne electronic systems used in critical defence and aerospace applications.

In this role, you’ll own the full hardware development lifecycle—from requirements capture to circuit design, simulation, and product integration. You'll combine analogue and digital expertise with system-level thinking to create robust, certifiable solutions that operate in the harshest airborne environments.

Main responsibilities:

Act as Design Authority for an airborne electronics product.
Design and simulate analogue and mixed-signal circuits, including filtering, amplification, and power regulation.
Use LTSpice (or equivalent) to simulate and verify circuit performance across conditions.
Develop digital systems with FPGAs, SoCs, and high-speed serial interfaces.
Produce schematics using Altium Designer and support PCB layout integration.
Work with cross-functional teams—RF, software, mechanical—to ensure cohesive system development.
Support system integration, bench testing, and troubleshooting of new designs.
Contribute to and lead design reviews, documentation, and configuration management.
Engage with system engineering activities, converting requirements into verified design solutions.
Contribute to DO-254 / DO-160 certification activities and documentation.

Requirements:

BEng/BSc in Electronic Engineering (or related discipline).
8+ years practical design experience in aerospace, defence, or high-reliability embedded systems.
Strong background in analogue and mixed-signal circuit design for airborne or harsh environments.
Proven experience with LTSpice, PSpice, or equivalent simulation tools.
Working knowledge of digital logic, FPGA-based systems, and VHDL (Altera or Xilinx environments).
Competence in serial interfaces such as RS-422, RS-485, SPI, I2C, and MLVDS.
Experience with multi-layer PCB design, component selection for aerospace, and high-reliability design principles.
Experience with hardware integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting at both board and system level.
Clear understanding of system engineering principles, traceability, and configuration management.

Highly desirable:

Familiarity with DO-254, DO-160, or equivalent airborne certification standards is a strong advantage.
Knowledge of STANAG 3910, MIL-STD-1553, or other avionics data bus standards.
Experience working in certified aerospace environments or on flight hardware projects.

Security Clearance:

You must be eligible for full security clearance.

What we can offer you:

Flexible working practices – we work a 9-day fortnight, offer hybrid working, flexitime, and work a half day Friday
25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) with the option to buy up to 5 additional days
Health cash plan – cash back for everyday health expenses
Pension scheme with 6% employer contributions
Life assurance – 4 x annual salary
Reward and recognition platform
Discount platform – retail, leisure, gym discounts and more
Employee assistance programme with access to confidential counselling services
Support for further training and education
Continuous development and career progression opportunities
Relocation assistance up to £8,000 if you relocate to take up a position with us

Seniority level

Seniority level
Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Employment type
Full-time