The Opportunity

Do you want to help keep our future fighter pilots safe by designing the next generation of airborne communications equipment?

Leonardo has a fantastic opportunity for an Electronic Design Engineer for delivery of an Inter-Vehicle Data Link communications system. We are looking for an engineer with digital design experience familiar with working on complex electronic (ideally RF communication based) sensor systems.

The role will focus on the electronics design of digital subsystems interfacing with RF and control subsystems; to be implemented on laboratory and aircraft concept demonstrators in later stages of the project.

You will provide technical support throughout the product lifecycle including design implementation, integration and test, system trials and product delivery.

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. 

What you will do

You will be responsible for delivery of work packages focused on digital electronics, covering the inter-vehicle data link design, system test and integration. 

Creating a number of boards to support AESA antennas, some of which require digital design predominantly to support control of the boards. Supporting microcontroller design on mixed RF/Digital designs Supporting dedicated ECAD engineers providing PCB layout services Creating additional designs to support RF over fibre modules, fibre Ethernet interfaces or other external interfaces Working closely with antenna design team at our Bristol site

What we are looking for:

You really must have:

Design experience of printed circuit board assemblies, including initial design, schematic entry, generation of supporting design documentation, and support to PCB layout engineer. Experience pf providing support to embedded software and firmware teams, peer reviewing designs, and support to system architects / system integration. Practical design experience including good engineering laboratory work, PCBA bring-up, fault-finding and generation of test reports. A good working knowledge of signal & power integrity, EMC at the PCB and equipment level, and equipment grounding best practices. Ability to produce concise technical reports detailing design solutions and implementation. Ability to understand and follow the business practices, such as design reviews, which come with working in a high technology defence environment. Degree in relevant engineering or related scientific discipline (Electronics Engineering or Physics preferred). Ability to make technical decisions within own sphere of responsibility.

Design activities will include:

Mixed-technology (digital / analogue & RF) PCBA designs comprising one or more MCU, CPLD and FPGA devices interfacing with RF components. Digital interface PCBAs including standard interfaces such as Ethernet / CAN / I2C / SPI / RS422 as well as optical fibre interfaces (Ethernet / discrete digital links) Power and control boards requiring high safety rating & design for DO-160 qualification

It would be nice if you had:

Working knowledge of requirements management within DOORS Experience of designing to meet DO-254 Prior use of Mentor (Siemens EDA) Designer and LTSpice Knowledge / experience of analogue and RF design. Experience in system level and sub-system integration and debug. Experience of working in the defence electronics sector. Experience of working with UK MOD (e.g. RAF, DSTL, DE&S) An understanding of the deployment of airborne military platforms, systems and operation within the enterprise environment.

The nature of the programmes involving electronics design requires you to be capable of achieving full UK SC security clearance and in addition, you will require the ability to access caveated information such as UK Eyes Only and ITAR. 

Life at Leonardo

With a company funded benefits package, a commitment to learning and development, and a flexible approach to working hours focused on the needs of both our employees and customers, a career with Leonardo has never offered as many opportunities or been more accessible to as many people.

Flexible Working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us Company funded flexible benefits: We offer award-winning flexible benefits plan, having won the Best Flexible Working Policy Award, Best Flexible Benefits Strategy and Best Flexible Benefits Plan in 2023. These include; access to private healthcare, dental schemes, Workplace ISA, Go Green Car Scheme, technology and lifestyle options (£500 annual allowance) Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays, option to buy/sell leave and to accrue up to 12 additional flexi leave days per year Pension: Award winning pension scheme (up to 15% employer contribution) Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, access to Mental Health support, Financial wellbeing support, network groups (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Reservists, Carers) Lifestyle: Discounted Gym membership, Cycle to work scheme Training: Free access to more than 4000 online courses via Coursera Referral Incentive: You can earn a reward for successfully referring a friend or family member Bonus: Scheme in place for all employees at management level and below

Leonardo is a global high-tech company and one of the key players in Aerospace, Defence and Security. Headquartered in Italy, Leonardo has over 45,000 employees, of which 7,000 are based in the UK.

At Leonardo UK, we believe that a diverse and inclusive work environment unlocks our people’s full potential and drives innovation and creativity. We work hard to offer a welcoming, accessible and inclusive place to work for all of our people, creating a culture where everyone can thrive, feel safe and have a sense of belonging and connection.

This is a great opportunity to bring your talents and form an integral part of Leonardo’s future. We can help you develop your skills and offer great opportunities to develop and grow, so why not join us