About this role
Salary: £39,000 - 79,000 per year
Requirements
- Proven track record and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
- Ability to analyse system-level requirements and capture or derive detailed firmware requirements.
- Ability to prepare documentation for engineers and design reviews.
- Experience with firmware design techniques and tools, from VHDL through to place-and-route.
- Experience with FPGA architectures such as system-on-chip (e.g. Xilinx Versal).
- Experience specifying timing and area constraints for efficient FPGA place-and-route.
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- Experience working in mixed-discipline teams.
- Degree (BSc, BEng, MEng, MSc or PhD) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering or a similar engineering or science subject.
- Must have five years of UK residency and be capable of achieving full SC security clearance. The role is subject to pre-employment screening under the UK Governments Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS); additional National Security Vetting (NSV) controls may apply, including eligibility for SC or DV.
- Willingness to learn, progress and develop through our technical career path.
Responsibilities
- Deliver firmware for complex digital systems that meet challenging future customer requirements.
- Support the delivery of work from several engineers, using or developing team-leading experience.
- Help mature and deliver a mission-critical component for installation on the GCAP core platform.
- Enhance processes and ways of working across our UK-wide FPGA and firmware delivery teams.
- Participate in technical reviews, which may involve travel across the UK or abroad.
Technologies
- FPGA
- Firmware
- Support
- Security
- VHDL
- Hardware
More
We are recruiting a Lead Firmware/FPGA Engineer at Leonardo Edinburgh to work on the Global Combat Air System (GCAP) programme, a defence programme of critical national importance. The role offers the opportunity to contribute to the future of UK combat air capability, working with experts and using world-class facilities. Our salary framework is grade-based; the advertised range is £60,00 to £84,995 and reflects the approved grade band or a narrower hiring range. We offer a company-funded benefits package, including generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days, an award-winning pension with up to 15% employer contribution, wellbeing support, employee-led inclusion networks, a bonus scheme, access to more than 4,000 online courses, a referral programme, and up to £500 annually for flexible benefits.
We offer flexible hours and hybrid working options. Leonardo is a global aerospace, defence and security company headquartered in Italy, with more than 53,000 employees worldwide and 8,500 across nine UK sites. We are committed to an inclusive, accessible and welcoming workplace, and can discuss accessibility requirements during recruitment. This is a permanent, hybrid role based in Edinburgh.
last updated 45 week of 2026