Senior / Principal PCB Design Engineer in London

Senior / Principal PCB Design Engineer in London

London Full-Time 58100 - 75000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
Defence

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and layout complex PCBs for cutting-edge defence and cyber technology.
  • Company: Join a leading tech firm shaping the future of defence technology.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, annual bonus, and relocation support.
  • Other info: Opportunities for career progression from Senior to Principal Engineer.
  • Why this job: Make a real-world impact on national security and advanced technology projects.
  • Qualifications: Degree in Engineering or equivalent experience in PCB design.

The predicted salary is between 58100 - 75000 £ per year.

Location: Berkshire based, looking for relocating candidates.

Working Pattern: Full-time onsite due to work nature / exposure.

Security Clearance: Must be eligible for Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.

Join a team at the cutting edge of defence and cyber technology, delivering advanced solutions that protect critical information and support mission-critical operations worldwide. Whether you're an experienced PCB Designer looking to step into a Senior role or an established Principal Engineer seeking greater technical influence, this is an opportunity to work on highly secure, technically challenging programmes that make a real-world impact.

Our Cyber Business Unit develops advanced cryptographic and key management solutions, enabling secure communications across tactical and strategic defence environments. You'll play a key role in designing complex PCB solutions for ground-breaking research, development, and production programmes ranging from thousands to millions of pounds in value.

As a Senior or Principal PCB Layout Engineer, you'll be responsible for the design and layout of complex multilayer PCBs (4-20 layers) across defence, aerospace, security, and space applications. You'll collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop high-reliability hardware solutions, supporting projects from concept through to manufacture.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Designing complex rigid, semi-rigid, and flex-rigid PCBs incorporating through, buried, and blind vias
  • Producing layouts for analogue, RF, digital, power, and high-speed designs
  • Ensuring designs meet EMC, signal integrity, security, and TEMPEST requirements
  • Working closely with hardware engineers to define routing strategies, impedance control, and design constraints
  • Incorporating DFM, DFT, and production test requirements into designs
  • Liaising with PCB fabricators and assembly houses to support successful manufacture
  • Supporting design reviews and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives
  • Estimating design effort and delivering against programme schedules
  • At Principal level, contributing to technical proposals, bids, and mentoring less experienced engineers

What We're Looking For

Essential:

  • Degree in Engineering, Science, Mathematics or equivalent industry experience
  • Strong background in PCB design, routing, and layout of complex electronic assemblies
  • Experience designing multilayer, high-density PCBs
  • Expertise with industry-standard PCB design toolsets
  • Excellent knowledge of IPC standards and routing best practices
  • Proven track record delivering complex designs involving high-speed digital, RF, analogue, and power electronics
  • Experience implementing DFM and DFT methodologies

Highly Desirable:

  • Signal integrity analysis experience
  • Understanding of power distribution and thermal design considerations
  • Experience with Gerber and ODB++ data
  • Altium Designer and/or PADS expertise
  • Schematic capture experience
  • Windchill version control knowledge

Why Join?

  • Up to 10% annual bonus.
  • £5,000 annual DV allowance once achieved the clearance.
  • Relocation opportunity available, case by case.
  • Work on nationally significant cyber and defence programmes.
  • Exposure to cutting-edge aerospace, space, and security technologies.
  • Clear progression from Senior to Principal and beyond.

If you're passionate about complex PCB design and want to work on projects that directly support national security and advanced technology development, I'd love to hear from you.

Senior / Principal PCB Design Engineer in London employer: Defence

Join a leading defence technology company in Berkshire, where you'll be at the forefront of innovation in cyber and aerospace solutions. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, we offer clear progression paths from Senior to Principal Engineer, alongside competitive benefits such as an annual bonus and relocation support. Our collaborative work culture fosters creativity and technical excellence, making it an ideal environment for those passionate about making a real-world impact through advanced PCB design.

Defence

Contact Details:

Defence Recruitment Team

We think you need these skills to ace Senior / Principal PCB Design Engineer in London

PCB Design
Multilayer PCB Layout
Routing Strategies
EMC Compliance
Signal Integrity
DFM (Design for Manufacture)
DFT (Design for Test)