Security Firmware/FPGA Engineer

Salary: £37,400 to £53,550 / Senior: £45, 200 to £61,950 / Principal: £53,300 to £71,400 / Lead: £59,400 to £84,995

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Technology in Defence is rapidly evolving, and so are the risks to capabilities and success through an ever-changing security landscape. As customers demand higher levels of resilience in the products we create, our approach to securing systems and products needs to change with it.

We are looking for an FPGA Engineer to join us in shaping the next generation of secure, resilient Defence technology. You’ll be part of a team tackling complex engineering challenges, developing your skills, and helping protect critical national capabilities.

Your work at Leonardo will see you addressing security risks in an agile, innovative and team-centric manner. You will work as part of a collaborative team supporting engineering delivery, aiding the design and development of new products and systems by providing guidance to ensure the customer’s capabilities remain secure.

Through engagement with engineering teams and customers, you will develop solutions that address security concerns while providing value to the customer based on risk balance. Utilising a focus of supporting the customer to achieve their goals, you will aim to deliver the best possible solutions balanced against the programme constraints.

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  Designing secure firmware cores to flow down to engineering teams, and supporting integration

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  Reviewing documentation such as design documents, system specifications, and risk profiles to identify potential vulnerabilities and propose appropriately secure solutions

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  Working with solution architects and engineers to ensure that systems meet stringent Design Integrity and security standards and satisfy relevant accreditation requirements

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  Participating in wider customer forums, to review security topics

We welcome people with a range of backgrounds and experiences. You don’t need to be an expert in everything—we value curiosity, enthusiasm for secure systems, and a willingness to learn. If you’re excited by secure firmware and feel you can contribute—even if you don’t meet every requirement—we encourage you to apply.

• A passion for security and problem solving

• Eagerness to learn and adapt to changing technologies

• Technical knowledge of secure firmware/embedded software and integration with electronics

• Knowledge of digital electronics

• Knowledge of developing designs for AMD, Microsemi and/or Intel FPGAs

• Knowledge of firmware simulation and verification tools

• Knowledge of scripting, using TCL and/or Python

• Knowledge of concepts such as Isolated Design Flow, encryption, and secure boot

• Understanding of the engineering product development lifecycle

• A working practical knowledge of NCSC CAPS Evaluation processes and practices with awareness of generic Secure by Design Principles as presented by NCSC, UK MOD and NIST

• Practical experience of following DevSecOps lifecycles for embedded software/firmware

• Experience in safety-critical engineering and/or developing embedded software/firmware to High Assurance requirements such as DO-178C/DO-254 standards or equivalent

• Knowledge and experience of complex cryptography, especially implementing algorithms or utilising the approved cryptographic functions within FPGAs to create higher level security controls.

• An understanding of developing cyber resilient products by addressing the 4 phases of resilience: Prepare, Absorb, Recover and Adapt

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) will apply, this will include meeting the eligibility requirements for Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting