Senior Electronic Design and Firmware Engineer

Themarketinghealth; Barnstaple; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology solutions provider based in Barnstaple is seeking a Senior Electronic Design & Firmware Engineer to lead the development of advanced FPGA firmware solutions. This role requires expertise in VHDL/Verilog and offers flexible working arrangements. The ideal candidate should possess strong skills in digital electronics, PCB design, and communication protocols. A competitive salary of up to £65k is available, along with significant benefits such as flexible leave and private health insurance.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private medical health insurance

Group Pension Plan

Cycle to work scheme

Life assurance policy

Development opportunities

Qualifications

• Expert in VHDL/Verilog and FPGA toolchains.
• Strong understanding of digital electronics and embedded systems.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and verify FPGA firmware using VHDL/Verilog.
• Develop and optimise embedded code for high-performance systems.
• Provide mentorship and technical support to engineers.

Skills

VHDL/Verilog and FPGA toolchains

Digital electronics

Programming languages (MATLAB, C, Python)

Communication protocols

Analogue and digital circuits design

PCB design

Problem-solving

Technical documentation

Collaboration skills

Tools

Intel Quartus

AMD Vivado

Job description

About The Role

Engineered to Protect, that’s our promise, we protect what matters – our nations, our waters, our land, our cities, our people, our environment, our world. Taking responsibility for the development of advanced firmware solutions for FPGA‑based systems, strengthening departmental capability in VHDL design and integration, this role will own complex designs, mentor engineers, and ensure robust electronic and firmware solutions.

Senior Electronic Design & Firmware Engineer will be based at our Barnstaple site. This role allows for flexible working.

The salary for this role is up to £65k, depending on experience.

What you’ll be doing

• Design, implement, and verify FPGA firmware using VHDL/Verilog
• Develop and optimise embedded code for high‑performance systems
• Own the full lifecycle: requirements, architecture, coding, simulation, and integration
• Collaborate on schematic capture and PCB design using Altium
• Support component selection and signal integrity analysis
• Provide technical support to a small multi‑disciplinary team of engineers on specific projects
• Seek and share good practice and knowledge locally to continuously improve own practices
• Provide support to the learning and development of other engineers within SEA through mentorship and expert advice
• Support and facilitate reviews and approvals of electronic designs in accordance with business and industry standards
• Provide input to company standards pertaining to electronic engineering including calculations, CAD models, manufacturing drawings & schematics and technical reports
• Support SEA products through manufacturing, assembly, installation and service life
• Support the preparation and submission of bids and proposals, including interfacing with customers and suppliers and generating engineering estimates

About our company

At SEA, we develop and deliver advanced solutions to make our world safer, cleaner and more efficient. We provide state‑of‑the‑art applications for naval ship and fleet protection, and undersea surveillance systems. In‑service across the globe, our systems deliver a rapid response to threats and system effectiveness and interoperation. Our systems support an ever‑growing number of navies across the world, and we continue to bolster our already specialist, on‑the‑ground knowledge of key overseas markets.

What We Offer

Work life balance

• Hybrid/flexible working arrangements
• 25 days annual leave, plus buy and sell
• Up to 16 days flexi leave accrual
• Half‑day Fridays
• Reservists in the Armed Forces receive special paid leave

Family & wellbeing

• Private medical health insurance & Employee Assistance Program
• All Staff Bonus
• Group Pension Plan of up to 7% employer contribution
• Cycle to work scheme
• Wellbeing Centre
• Sports & social activities
• Employee Discounts portal – online and in‑store discounts, travel savings
• Life assurance policy
• Publication and recruitment bonus rewards
• Development opportunities, including LinkedIn learning

Facilities & resources

• Electric vehicle charging points at all sites
• Private seated lunch areas
• Onsite bistro (Barnstaple office) and free hot and cold beverages
• Onsite showers and toiletries provision
• Free onsite parking

The skills you need

• Expert in VHDL/Verilog and FPGA toolchains (Intel Quartus, AMD Vivado)
• Strong understanding of digital electronics and embedded systems
• Versatile to provide input in other programming languages and simulation tools such as MATLAB, C and Python (desired but not essential)
• Knowledge of communication protocols and real‑time systems
• Contribute to the design and development of analogue and digital electronic circuits
• Understanding of PCB design from schematic capture to PCB layout
• Ability to follow a methodical/systematic approach to analyse and solve problems, identifying key facts and breaking down complex information to component parts
• Full lifecycle experience from requirements decomposition to acceptance and user sign‑off on multi‑disciplinary programmes
• Experience of requirements capture, analysis, V&V and configuration management
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Able to produce clear and concise technical documentation
• Demonstrable ability to plan and execute technical assignments

Join us and be part of something smaller – with 500 people in the UK and Canada – doing something bigger: protecting what matters.

If you’d like to know more, please give Kelly Thomas from our Talent Acquisition Team a call on 03330 414300 or reach out to us on LinkedIn.