Junior Hardware Design Engineer
4 days ago
City of London
Location: London Employment Type: Full-time Department: Engineering – Hardware About the Company Timebeat is a leader in high-precision clock synchronisation technology, delivering enterprise-grade timing solutions for financial services, telecommunications, aerospace, defence, and critical infrastructure. Our products enable nanosecond-level accuracy, reliability, and visibility across distributed systems. We are expanding our hardware engineering team to continue advancing our timing platforms and next-generation synchronisation devices. Role Overview We are seeking a Hardware Design Engineer with experience in PCB design using Altium Designer. In this role, you will design, develop, test, and iterate hardware solutions for high-precision timing, network synchronisation, and embedded systems. You will work closely with software, FPGA, mechanical, and product teams to deliver robust, production-ready designs. You will work alongside senior hardware design engineers as well as external design consultants. Key Responsibilities Hardware Design & Development • Design multi-layer PCBs in Altium Designer, including schematic capture, layout, library management, and DFM/DFA considerations., • Develop hardware for clock synchronisation and timing systems, including oscillators, GNSS receivers, network timing modules (PTP/NTP), and related embedded electronics., • Create, simulate, and validate high-speed digital, analogue, mixed-signal, and power circuitry., • Perform signal integrity and power integrity analysis; design for EMC compliance., • Generate comprehensive fabrication and assembly documentation. Testing & Validation • Develop and execute test plans for prototype validation and product qualification., • Work with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers, frequency counters, power analysers, logic analysers)., • Debug hardware issues and provide timely design revisions., • Support environmental, compliance, and reliability testing. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Collaborate with firmware, FPGA, and software engineers to ensure seamless integration across the product stack., • Work with manufacturing partners to resolve production issues and improve yield., • Participate in design reviews, documentation, and version-control workflows. Required Skills & Experience • Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or related field., • Proven experience designing PCBs using Altium Designer., • Strong understanding of digital and analogue circuit design., • Experience with high-speed interfaces (e.g., Ethernet, USB, SPI, I2C, LVDS)., • Familiarity with oscillators, timing circuits, PLLs, GNSS modules, and precision measurement components., • Solid understanding of EMC/EMI principles and regulatory compliance (CE, FCC or similar)., • Comfortable using lab equipment for debugging and characterisation., • Knowledge of design-for-manufacture (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT). Preferred Qualifications (nice to have but not essential) • Experience in hardware for timing, synchronisation, PTP (IEEE 1588), GNSS, or networking hardware., • Experience with FPGA/SoC platforms (Xilinx, Intel/Altera, Microchip)., • Familiarity with thermal design and power optimisation., • Experience with scripting or automation tools (Python, MATLAB, etc.)., • Knowledge of embedded firmware basics (C/C++). Personal Attributes • Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail., • Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritise effectively., • Collaborative and communicative team player., • Driven to innovate and continuously improve hardware quality. What We Offer • Competitive salary and benefits package., • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge timing and synchronisation technologies., • A collaborative, fast-moving, engineering-focused environment., • Career growth and technical development opportunities.