Principal Electrical Engineer

Protecting What Matters. Powering the Future of Naval Technology. Ultra Maritime is a global leader in advanced maritime defence solutions. We operate at the forefront of innovation, delivering technologies that protect lives, secure nations, and enable a safer, more sustainable world.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Principal Electronics Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in guiding engineering delivery, developing technical capability, and ensuring high standards across the Electronic and Electrical discipline. You will work closely with engineering leadership, project teams, and domain specialists to advance our technical capabilities and deliver reliable, mission critical solutions.

DESIGN AND TECHNICAL RESPONSIBILITIES (40%)

• Deliver Electronic Design: Contribute to the definition, development, and implementation of reliable, high integrity electronics for defence and aerospace applications, including digital, analogue, mixed signal, and power electronics. Support architectural development and detailed design activities, including schematic capture, PCB layout input, hardware prototyping, and qualification support.
• Technical Assurance and Design Reviews: Lead or participate in design reviews (PDR, CDR, etc.) to ensure compliance with performance, environmental, EMC/EMI, and safety requirements typical of defence and aerospace environments. Ensure engineering deliverables meet quality expectations, certification requirements, and customer standards.
• Lifecycle and Product Excellence: Promote Design for Cost, Test, Manufacture, Support, and Reliability across all design activities. Collaborate with manufacturing, production, and systems engineering to optimise design robustness and manufacturability.

LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES (60%)

• Team Development and Mentorship: Provide day to day technical leadership to engineers across the Electronic and Electrical discipline. Mentor junior and senior engineers, support professional registration pathways, and help build a high performance, inclusive engineering culture.
• Technical Governance and Continuous Improvement: Contribute to the evolution of engineering processes, tools, and governance frameworks. Drive improvements in design quality, engineering discipline maturity, and adherence to high technical standards.
• Strategic Resource Planning: Support recruitment, induction, and development activities to strengthen team capabilities. Help identify future skill needs and contribute to capability development plans aligned with business growth.
• Cross Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Systems, Software, Mechanical, Production, and Programme Management teams to ensure aligned and integrated engineering delivery. Contribute to technical elements of bids, proposals, and customer engagements.
• Project Delivery Support: Provide technical oversight across project phases, ensuring risks, issues, dependencies, and engineering priorities are clearly understood and managed. Support compliance with export controls, safety standards, and defence accreditation requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS REQUIRED

We are seeking a collaborative technical leader with strong domain knowledge and experience delivering complex electronic solutions within aerospace or defence environments.

• Advanced Design Expertise: Demonstrable experience delivering complex, multi-layer board designs, FPGA and microprocessor-based systems, high-reliability power supplies, and signal conditioning circuits for demanding environments.
• Leadership: Builds trust and fosters inclusive, psychologically safe teams. Recognised for mentoring engineering talent and promoting diversity of thought, encouraging professional growth and recognising individual contributions.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Strong interpersonal skills. Confident in representing internal and external stakeholder interests, especially in customer-focused environments.
• Innovation-Focused: Advocates for continuous improvement and encourages creativity across teams.
• Operational and Governance Excellence: Organised and quality focused. Ensures robust processes and timely delivery across multiple priorities.
• Resilience and Adaptability: Able to work effectively in dynamic environments. Manages priorities while maintaining focus on business outcomes.
• Academic Qualifications: Masters / Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Professional Registration: Chartered Engineer (CEng) preferred, or able to achieve chartered status.

SECURITY CLEARANCE

All candidates must be eligible to achieve the relevant security vetting level applicable to the role. Typically, a Bachelor Degree (or equivalent) in a related field and experience in a range of roles within a relevant complex engineering environment. May be required to maintain security clearance.

Security Requirements: This role requires you to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard Check (BPSS) as a minimum and some roles will require further national security vetting checks. In line with Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided.

What can you expect from us?

More than just a job, we offer a mission. More than just a workplace, we provide the opportunity to protect lives, advance technology, and shape the future of maritime security. As an employee of Ultra Maritime, you will receive:

• Optional 9 day fortnight TOIL
• Flexible working hours
• 1pm finish on a Friday
• Annual bonus – dependent on level. Non-managers = 5% and Managers = 10% for example
• Hybrid working for certain job roles.
• Casual dress
• 25 days holiday
• Christmas shut down – use three days of annual leave to cover this
• Option to buy or sell holiday.
• Option to purchase private health care, dental, critical illness etc via salary sacrifice.
• Reward hub – discounts at over 200 online stores
• 4 x annual salary life cover
• Pension starting at 5% Employer / 4% Employee. You can select your employee contribution level from 4% to 70% (providing this sacrifice does not cause your salary to drop below the National Minimum Wage/ National Living Wage).

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Ultra Maritime embraces the power of diverse perspectives to fuel innovation. We strive to build an open, inclusive workplace where ideas flourish and every individual can make a meaningful impact. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let the recruitment lead managing your application know.

Together, we deliver cutting-edge solutions that safeguard our oceans and secure a safer world.