Advanced Resource Managers
Lead Hardware Engineer
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Lead Hardware Engineer
Location: Luton
Contract: 12-month contract
Pay: up to £70p/h (Inside IR35)
Overview
Required to solve complex technical challenges involving high-speed digital design, FPGA-based architectures, signal processing, hardware integration, and system qualification within a highly regulated defence environment.
Responsibilities
- 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.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Experience Required
- 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).
- Practical board-level debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analysers, spectrum analysers, and protocol analysers.
- Experience integrating hardware, firmware, and software on complex embedded systems.
- Experience developing products to demanding EMC, EMI, and environmental requirements.
- Experience designing complex multilayer PCBs incorporating:
- High-speed serial interfaces
- High-performance processors
- DDR memory subsystems & FPGA-based signal processing solutions
- Knowledge of DO-254, DEF STAN, MIL-STD, or equivalent aerospace and defence standards.
- Experience with FPGA signal processing architecture
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Please note - Due to the nature of the work, you’ll be required to already hold or be eligible to obtain a high level of UK Security Clearance
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location