Principal Electronics Engineer

Principal Electronics Engineer

Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Salary: £65,000–£75,000 per annum
Employment Type: Full-time, permanent

We are seeking an experienced Principal Electronics Engineer to provide technical leadership within a growing team of around 15 engineers.

This is an opportunity for a highly capable electronics professional to lead complex development projects, shape R&D activity, influence engineering strategy and set the standard for technical excellence. You will combine hands-on electrical and electronic design expertise with the ability to mentor engineers, engage senior stakeholders and deliver robust solutions in demanding, technology-led environments.

The Role

As Principal Electronics Engineer, you will act as a senior technical authority across electrical and electronic development. You will lead major engineering projects, contribute to bids and new-business activity, and play a key role in developing innovative products and technologies.

The role combines electronics expertise—such as circuit design, components, PCB technology, EMC, power management, servo control, processor interfaces and communications—with electrical engineering capability in power and signal transmission, system wiring, architecture definition and production-aware design.

You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, senior leadership, customers and suppliers to ensure technical solutions are innovative, practical, robust and aligned with project, customer and business requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the electrical and electronic design activity for major development and R&D projects.
Act as a technical authority and subject-matter expert across assigned technology areas.
Develop circuit, PCB and system-level solutions covering power management, processor interfacing, communications, servo control, EMC and electrical architecture.
Define, assess and review electrical power and signal architectures, including power flow, system wiring, interfaces and production considerations.
Lead and support multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver effective, well-structured solutions to complex customer requirements.
Set and promote high standards of engineering practice, quality, technical governance and design assurance.
Lead by example, providing technical direction, constructive challenge and mentoring to less experienced engineers.
Support line-management activity for a smaller engineering sub-team, including development planning, coaching, training needs and resource-planning input.
Proactively review and improve engineering processes, tools, standards and ways of working.
Lead or contribute to R&D activity, analytical research, technology roadmaps and the development of new technical capability.
Conduct and review engineering analysis, including circuit emulation, performance analysis, thermal and power budgets, and system-level trade studies.
Identify key technical risks, critical design activities, schedule impacts and mitigation actions throughout the project lifecycle.
Investigate and resolve complex technical faults at PCB and system level, applying structured root-cause analysis and implementing lasting corrective actions.
Engage regularly with senior management, directors, customers and other key stakeholders, communicating technical risks, design choices, progress and recommendations clearly.
Support bids, proposals, technical estimates and new-business acquisition activity.
Provide technical input from initial bid and concept phases through detailed development, verification, production and ongoing customer support.About You

You will be a technically credible and commercially aware Principal Engineer who is comfortable operating at both detailed design and strategic level. You will enjoy solving difficult problems, improving how engineering is done and helping other engineers develop.

You will be confident explaining complex technical issues to a range of audiences, from design teams and programme managers to customers and senior leaders. You will bring a practical understanding of how to take robust electronic designs from concept through verification, manufacture and customer support.

Essential Skills & Experience

Strong degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline, ideally accredited by the IET.
Typically 10+ years’ relevant engineering experience within electronics, electrical, embedded or systems-development environments.
Significant experience leading engineering projects, technical work packages, design reviews or engineering teams.
Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of electronic design, including circuit design, component selection, PCB technology and system integration.
Expertise in one or more of the following: EMC, power management, servo/motion control, processor interfacing, communications, electrical architecture or embedded-electronics development.
Ability to conduct and review analysis-based engineering activity, including circuit simulation, performance analysis and power budgeting.
Demonstrable experience identifying technical risks, critical-path activities, schedule impacts and effective mitigation plans.
Good understanding of the full product-development lifecycle, from bids and concepts through design, verification, production and in-service support.
Proven track record of applying innovative approaches to technical challenges, engineering processes and leadership.
Strong fault-finding and root-cause-analysis capability at PCB and system level.
Excellent written, verbal and stakeholder-management skills.Desirable Skills & Experience

Chartered Engineer status, or actively working towards CEng.
Experience leading, managing, mentoring or developing other engineers.
Experience of EMC to military standards, including planning, architecture-level mitigation, testing support and issue resolution.
Knowledge of motors and drive technology, including motor-performance calculation and motion-system analysis.
Understanding of control-system analysis, performance techniques and relevant simulation tools.
Experience using and managing PCB design tools such as Altium, Cadence OrCAD or similar.
Familiarity with JIRA, Confluence, Microsoft Project or similar engineering/project-management tools.
Knowledge of design-resilience methods, including Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
Awareness of lightning direct and indirect effects.
Experience designing electronics for harsh or safety-critical environments, particularly military or defence applications.
Knowledge of design-for-manufacture, production processes, wiring, harnessing and system integration.To find out more please contact Max Sinclair @ Holt Executive or apply directly