Senior Hardware Engineer

Location: near Berkshire
Salary: £50,000–£65,000 depending on experience
Working pattern: Full-time, predominantly on-site
Clearance: Candidates must be eligible for UK SC clearance

Venn Group is working exclusively with a Defence technology company to recruit a Senior Hardware Engineer. This is a senior individual-contributor role without formal line-management responsibility. You will take ownership of projects from an initial brief through concept, design, prototyping, build, testing and final documentation.

Work will include UAV and UGV platforms, payload integration, launch mechanisms, ground-support equipment, power and charging systems, test equipment and production tooling.

• Deliver engineering projects from initial concept to operational hardware

• Produce mechanical parts, assemblies and manufacture-ready CAD drawings

• Integrate power systems, wiring, harnessing, avionics and payloads

• Develop prototypes and personally diagnose or modify hardware

• Plan and conduct bench, environmental and integration testing

• Support operational trials and customer acceptance activities

• Maintain engineering records, drawings, build documents and test evidence

• Direct technician activity across your projects

• Manage suppliers, manufactured components and technical procurement

• Apply practical design-for-manufacture principles

• Maintain configuration control and ISO 9001 compliance

• Support and mentor junior engineers and technicians

• Degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience

• At least seven years’ experience in hardware engineering

• Experience within UAVs, robotics, aerospace or another demanding electromechanical environment

• A track record of delivering hardware projects with minimal supervision

• Strong mechanical design or electrical/electronic engineering capability, with practical knowledge of the other discipline

• Mechanical CAD and production-drawing experience, or schematic and wiring-harness design capability

• Hands-on workshop, prototyping and fault-finding experience

• Test planning, execution and disciplined evidence capture

• Strong engineering documentation and configuration habits

• Eligibility to obtain UK SC clearance; some programmes may require sole UK nationality

• UAV, UAS or UGV platform development

• Mechanisms, actuation systems, latches or deployment equipment

• Composites, machining or sheet-metal design

• Batteries, power distribution and charging systems

• Avionics or payload integration

• Embedded programming or test-automation scripting

• ISO 9001 and engineering change control

• Flight trials or field-support experience

• Current or previously held SC or DV clearance

• £50,000–£65,000 depending on experience

• Company benefits

• Occasional home working where project activity permits

• Broad ownership across design, prototyping, build and testing

This opportunity would suit a Senior Engineer, Senior Hardware Engineer, Electromechanical Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer or Electrical Design Engineer who enjoys taking complete ownership of physical products.

Apply with an up-to-date CV for a confidential discussion.