Senior Electronic Hardware Engineer Engineering, Projects, Manufacture

From the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on earth, to surging shorelines and anywhere in-between, we make the impossible possible through our continuous passion for innovation. Our people design, engineer and manufacture technologies that are enabling our customers to discover, navigate, measure, detect and communicate in the toughest environment on earth: Our oceans. We’ve been actively developing the technology to make the oceans accessible for over 50 years and we’re only just getting started.

At Sonardyne, we value different ways of thinking. Whether you think in code, patterns, systems, or steps, your unique perspective is important to us. We are looking for a Senior Electronics Hardware Engineer to join our multidisciplinary engineering team and contribute to the next generation of intelligent subsea instrumentation.

The Opportunity

This is a hands‑on senior engineering role focused on the design and development of advanced electronics hardware for subsea systems. Working across multiple product lines, you will contribute to technologies including acoustic communications, Doppler Velocity Logs, ultra‑low‑power sensing systems and intelligent underwater instrumentation. You will play a key role in shaping robust, manufacturable and high‑performance designs that support long-term reliability in demanding operational environments. You will collaborate closely with electronics, software, systems and mechanical engineers throughout the full product lifecycle — from concept development and prototyping through to testing, production support and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Electronics Design & Development
  • Lead the electronics hardware design of new subsea products and assemblies.
  • Develop mixed‑signal electronic systems including analogue circuitry, sensor interfaces, FPGA‑based architectures, processors and low‑power designs.
  • Contribute to system architecture decisions with a focus on performance, reliability and manufacturability.
  • Support schematic capture, PCB design principles and component selection activities using Altium Designer.
• Embedded Development & Integration
  • Develop embedded firmware in C and C++ for board bring‑up, diagnostics and feature implementation.
  • Support hardware and firmware integration activities across multidisciplinary projects.
  • Investigate and resolve system‑level technical issues through hands‑on debugging and analysis.
• Testing, Validation & Compliance
  • Plan and carry out testing, verification and validation activities for prototypes and production hardware.
  • Support EMC design and testing activities to ensure compliance with EN60945 maritime standards and other relevant regulations.
  • Analyse performance data and implement improvements to optimise product reliability and efficiency.
• Documentation & Production Support
  • Produce clear and structured engineering documentation including schematics, design reports, interface specifications, test plans and manufacturing support information.
  • Support Production Engineering with investigations, design improvements and component obsolescence management.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, engineering best practices and the adoption of modern design approaches and toolsets.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong experience in analogue and digital electronics design, including simulation, modelling and noise‑aware design techniques.
• Knowledge of EMC design principles and relevant compliance standards such as EN60945.
• Experience using Altium Designer for schematic capture and PCB design activities.
• Strong embedded C programming capability, including low‑level hardware interaction and debugging.
• Familiarity with C++ and object‑oriented development concepts.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills with a hands‑on engineering approach.
• Strong technical communication and collaboration skills across multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

Degree (2:1 or above) in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Embedded Systems or a related discipline. Equivalent industry experience will also be considered.

Why Join Sonardyne?

This role offers the opportunity to work on technically complex and innovative subsea systems that operate in demanding real‑world environments. As a senior member of the team, you will influence product direction, support engineering excellence and contribute to technologies that enable critical offshore and underwater operations worldwide. You will join a collaborative engineering environment where curiosity, technical rigour and continuous improvement are highly valued.

Location & Travel

This role is based at Sonardyne’s Blackbushe facility, with occasional travel required, including visits to the Plymouth sea trials site.