Senior/Principal Hardware Engineer in Swanscombe

Location: Rochester

Salary: £55,000 to £65,000 per annum

What you’ll be doing:

• Executing complex hardware design tasks in accordance with the hardware development plan, whilst meeting agreed timescales and allocated budgets
• Conducting hardware requirements capture, preliminary design, detailed design including a range of analysis tasks
• Adopting an innovative approach to design and identifying improvements to working practices
• Working with other disciplines within an integrated team to optimise solutions and minimise impacts from dependencies
• Providing technical guidance and support to the development and delivery of all aspects of digital and/or analogue electronics solutions
• Coaching and developing the skills of junior team members
• Delivering design artefacts in accordance with company and industry standards

Your skills and experiences:

Essential:

• Degree/HND in electronics engineering or an equivalent qualification
• Proven knowledge and experience of digital and/or analogue electronics technologies
• Experience of working through the engineering development lifecycle, from concept to product certification
• Ability to demonstrate a good appreciation of cost and schedule constraints on designs, to meet programme needs
• Capable of providing robust engineering judgement in all phases of the engineering development lifecycle
• Robust understanding of product design and work package control

Desirable:

• Mentor Graphics Expedition Enterprise
• Analogue simulations tools, such as Simetrix or Spice
• System development tools, such as Enterprise Architect, Matlab, Simulink

Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Hardware Team:

As a Senior/Principal Hardware Engineer you will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team to formulate and optimise innovative hardware engineering solutions, for products such as Helmet Mounted and Head-Up Displays, Mission Computers, Flight Controls, Active Inceptors, and other associated safety-critical technology. This role will provide you with the opportunity to work with innovating cutting-edge projects as a member of a very experienced diverse team, with the view to progressing your career in this industry.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 3rd February 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.