Hardware Design Engineer

Location: Towcester
Type: Full‑Time, Permanent, On‑site

Are you an electronics engineer ready to take ownership of deployed, mission‑critical hardware?

We are looking for a Hardware Design Engineer to join our Engineering Team, working on rugged embedded electronics designed to operate reliably in extreme and demanding environments. This role offers hands‑on ownership of hardware designs through verification, production support, and fielded product issues — with opportunities to contribute to new product introduction (NPI) as you grow.

You will work closely with experienced engineers, manufacturing, and customers, applying sound engineering judgment while developing the independence expected of an Engineer.

What you’ll be doing

As a Hardware Design Engineer, you will take responsibility for defined areas of hardware design and support, working with minimal supervision while knowing when to seek input from senior engineers.

Key responsibilities include:

• Owning defined hardware subsystems through the full product lifecycle, including sustainment, verification, and production support
• Investigating and resolving hardware issues using structured fault‑finding and root‑cause analysis techniques
• Performing verification activities to ensure robustness, reliability, and compliance with requirements
• Supporting NPI activities through schematic design, design reviews, and verification
• Supporting production test strategies and handover to manufacturing
• Contributing to continuous improvement of hardware design, verification, and development processes

Essential experience and skills

• Degree in Electronic Engineering (or related discipline), or equivalent practical experience
• Typically, 2+ years’ experience in electronic hardware design, verification, or sustainment
• Ability to work independently on assigned technical tasks with minimal supervision
• Strong fault‑finding, debugging, and analytical problem‑solving skills
• Understanding of embedded systems and computer architectures
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including technical discussions with peers

Desirable experience (but not required)

• High‑speed digital interfaces such as USB, Ethernet, I²C, SPI, or DDR4
• Switch‑mode power supply design and simulation
• Multi‑core or multi‑GHz SoC‑based designs
• Experience supporting products in production or fielded environments

Why join us?

• Clear technical career path from Engineer II through to Principal Engineer, with transparent expectations at each level
• Graded progression within Engineer II (II.1 – II.3), recognising incremental growth and increasing responsibility
• Work on exciting mission‑critical products that operate in some of the world’s harshest environments
• A collaborative engineering culture that values technical excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement

Benefits 

You’ll receive benefits including a competitive pension scheme, 25 days annual leave, Health and Life Assurance.   You’ll also have access to additional benefits such as an employee assistance programme, Cycle2work and employee discounts. 

GDPR 

By applying for this position, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with AMETEK/Abaco Data Protection Policy. We will use your information solely for recruitment purposes and will not share it with third parties without your consent. Your data will be stored securely and retained only as long as necessary for the recruitment process. You have the right to access, rectify, or delete your personal data at any time. For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our Privacy Policy. 

Security clearance 

Please be aware that many roles working for Abaco Systems will be subject to security and export control restrictions. All roles are therefore subject to candidates being able to meet BPSS level pre-employment screening criteria, which includes criminal record checks and a minimum of 3 years continuous UK residency. In some roles you may also need to have or be able to achieve full SC level security clearance without restrictions. This requires a minimum of 5 years continuous UK residency. Security and export control requirements mean that factors including your nationality, any other nationalities you have or have previously held, your place of birth and your employment and residency status may limit those roles you can perform for the organisation. For more information and guidance about security requirements visit :

Security Vetting

Ready to apply?

If you’re looking for a role where you can own real hardware, develop your technical independence, and grow along a clearly defined engineering career path, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today and help shape the next generation of rugged embedded electronics.