Electronics Hardware Engineer

Role Overview

The Electronics Hardware Engineer is responsible for the design and development of Windracers’ avionics systems. This includes first-principles design, implementation, supporting the quality assurance process and interfacing with both internal and external manufacturing organisations.

The Electronics Hardware Engineer contributes to ensuring that our avionics, embedded systems, and associated products meet market needs, scale efficiently, and align with Windracers’ low-cost, high-reliability business model.

This role involves primarily hands-on engineering, supported by close collaboration with avionics, systems, software, mechanical, and production teams.

Key Responsibilities

System Architecture & Development

• Design analog, digital, and power-electronics circuits for aerospace hardware
• Develop products that are robust, scalable, mass-producible, and cost-optimised.
• Ensure all systems and designs support Windracers’ low-cost business strategy without compromising safety or reliability.

Certification & Compliance

• Support product qualification activities to aerospace standards such as DO-160, DO-254, and related test regimes.
• Ensure system compliance with regulatory frameworks including SORA.
• Support environmental qualification requirements (e.g., IP68).

Testing, Integration & Operations

• Support flight testing, field trials, and platform integration activities for UAVs and subsystem prototypes.
• Assist the Manufacturing team with avionics-related production and troubleshooting.
• Contribute to research and development workstreams advancing the capabilities of the platform.

Candidate Profile

Experience & Education

• 2:1 or higher in a STEM discipline.
• Relevant experience in electronics, embedded systems, or avionics engineering either through personal projects, university or industry.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of electronics design, prototyping, and productization.
• Experience with:

             o SPICE circuit modelling and simulation

             o Component selection and schematic capture

             o Multi-layer PCB design for high-reliability applications

             o EMC/EMI-aware design techniques

             o Altium Designer (preferred but not required)

• Some complementary knowledge of embedded software development in C/C++, ideally for STM32 microcontrollers or similar platforms (preferred but not required).
• Experience with Python or other scripting languages for tooling, testing, or automation (preferred but not required).
• Hands-on practical skills (soldering, cable assembly, prototype bring-up) (preferred but not required).

Mindset & Attributes

• Proven problem-solving ability with a track record of delivering under pressure.
• Strong communication, documentation, and presentation skills.
• Proactive, organised, and comfortable leading multidisciplinary engineering activities.
• Passion for aviation, autonomy, and advanced aerospace technologies.
• UAV industry experience and flight-testing exposure highly desirable.
• Willing to work in the defence sector and undergo background/security checks as required.