Electronics Engineer - R&D

Company Profile

Location: Waterbeach, UK

Department: Engineering

Reports to: Engineering Manager

Type: Full-time, Permanent

Company Profile

Thermoteknix Systems Ltd, founded in 1982 and based in Cambridge, is a world leader in thermal imaging, night vision, and augmented reality systems. Our award-winning technologies are trusted by defence, security, and industrial customers in over 70 countries. With in-house R&D, cutting-edge innovation, and a global reputation for quality, we design and manufacture solutions that perform in the toughest environments.

About You

Role Overview

The Electronics Engineer will be responsible for the design, development, testing, and support of electronic hardware used across Thermoteknix products. The role will involve working closely with mechanical, software, firmware, production, and project teams to take products from concept through prototype, verification, and transfer into manufacture.

This is a hands-on engineering role suited to someone with strong electronic design capability, practical problem-solving skills, and an interest in high-performance imaging systems, embedded electronics, and ruggedised product development.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop electronic circuits and assemblies for new and existing products.
• Produce schematics, PCB layout guidance, design calculations, and supporting technical documentation.
• Support the development of analogue, digital, power, video, and embedded electronics.
• Work with firmware and software engineers to integrate electronics with FPGA, microcontroller, sensor, display, and communication interfaces.
• Carry out design verification, debugging, testing, and fault finding on prototypes and production hardware.
• Support environmental, EMC, and compliance testing where required.
• Contribute to design reviews, risk assessments, and product development planning.
• Work closely with mechanical engineers to ensure electronic designs are suitable for compact, ruggedised, and manufacturable products.
• Support transfer of new designs into production, including test procedures, manufacturing documentation, and production troubleshooting.
• Investigate component obsolescence, alternative parts, and design improvements.
• Liaise with suppliers and manufacturing partners where required.
• Maintain high standards of design control, documentation, and configuration management.
  
  

Required Skills & Experience

• Degree or equivalent experience in Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience designing electronic hardware for commercial, industrial, defence, aerospace, scientific, or other high-performance products.
• Strong understanding of analogue and digital circuit design.
• Experience with schematic capture and PCB design processes.
• Practical experience with electronic test equipment, including oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analysers, and power supplies.
• Ability to debug complex electronic systems at board and system level.
• Understanding of embedded systems, microcontrollers, FPGA interfaces, or sensor integration.
• Experience designing for reliability, manufacturability, and testability.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary engineering team.
  
  

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience with imaging systems, thermal cameras, night vision, displays, or electro-optical products.
• Knowledge of video interfaces, MIPI, LVDS, USB, Ethernet, SPI, I²C, UART, CAN, or similar communication protocols.
• Experience with low-power electronic design.
• Experience with battery-powered or portable products.
• Knowledge of EMC design principles and environmental testing.
• Experience with Altium Designer or similar PCB design tools.
• Familiarity with defence, aerospace, or ruggedised product development.
• Experience supporting products through prototype build, qualification, and production release.
• Understanding of component lifecycle management and obsolescence control.
  
  

Personal Attributes

• Practical, hands-on, and comfortable working with real hardware.
• Strong problem-solving mindset with good attention to detail.
• Able to work independently while contributing effectively to a wider team.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving engineering environment with changing priorities.
• Curious, technically driven, and keen to develop new skills.
• Takes ownership of tasks and follows through to completion.
• Able to balance innovation with manufacturability, reliability, and commercial requirements.
  
  

Why us?

• Opportunity to work on advanced thermal imaging, night vision, and augmented reality systems.
• Involvement in the full product development lifecycle from concept to production.
• A varied and technically challenging role within a specialist UK engineering company.
• Training and career development opportunities.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.