Digital Avionics Engineer

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr.

Zephyr’s persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation.

AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities.

Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace: Stratospace. You’ll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace.

Job Purpose

As a Digital Avionics Engineer at AALTO, you’ll take a hands-on role in developing, verifying and handing over safety-critical airborne complex electronic hardware.

Working with VHDL and Microchip SmartFusion or PolarFire devices, you’ll turn demanding requirements into robust digital designs. If you combine a strong grounding in digital electronics with broad technical curiosity and the ability to adapt quickly, this is an opportunity to tackle complex engineering challenges alongside systems, hardware and software colleagues.

Responsibilities to include

· Design, develop, integrate, test and maintain VHDL-based FPGA functionality for safety-critical airborne applications.

· Translate system and equipment requirements into clear FPGA design, implementation and verification artefacts.

· Create and maintain design documentation, interface definitions, verification plans, review records and handover material.

· Support requirements traceability, configuration control and evidence capture throughout the development lifecycle.

· Investigate and resolve complex issues spanning FPGA functionality, digital hardware, embedded software and system interfaces.

· Collaborate with systems, hardware and software teams to resolve technical challenges and support integration activities.

Skills and Experience needed

· Significant hands-on VHDL / FPGA engineering experience, ideally gained in a relevant industrial or safety-critical environment, including experience with Microchip SmartFusion or PolarFire devices.

· Experience developing airborne or other safety-critical electronic hardware/software within a recognised engineering lifecycle, ideally including DO-254 and awareness of DO-178C principles.

· Strong FPGA design, implementation, simulation, synthesis, timing analysis and hardware bring-up experience using the Libero toolchain.

· A good understanding of digital hardware design, including schematic capture, PCB layout constraints, signal interfaces and component-level integration.

· The ability to work confidently from complex system-level challenges down to component-level detail.

· Experience with real-time embedded systems and hardware/software integration.

· Strong problem-solving, debugging and root-cause analysis skills, supported by a solid grounding in digital electronics.

· Clear written and verbal communication, a collaborative approach, and the ability to produce documentation suitable for handover and audit.

· Broad technical interests, the ability to adapt quickly, and an appreciation of standards such as DO-330, DO-331, DO-332, DO-333, ARP4754A/B, DO-278, DEF STAN 00-55 and DEF STAN 00-56.

Please note, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role

In addition to a competitive, market-aligned salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and work-life balance:

Performance Bonus
Benefit from our short-term incentive plan, recognising and rewarding individual and company success.

Generous Annual Leave
Enjoy 25 days of annual leave, giving you the time to rest, recharge, and spend time on what matters most.

Private Healthcare
Access private medical insurance, alongside dental and optical cashback schemes, helping you and your family stay healthy.

Pension Contributions
Plan confidently for the future with our competitive personal pension scheme.

Income Protection & Life Assurance
Gain added peace of mind through income protection and life assurance cover, providing support when you need it most.

Electric Vehicle & Car Scheme
Access our salary sacrifice vehicle scheme, offering a cost-effective way to drive the latest cars.

Employee Assistance Programme
Receive confidential professional support whenever you need it through our dedicated employee assistance programme.

Employee Discounts
Enjoy a wide range of discounts and offers through Perkbox, covering everything from shopping and travel to leisure activities and everyday essentials.

This is all part of our commitment to creating an environment where our people can thrive both professionally and personally.

Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at AALTO, you can register your details here: https://careers.aaltohaps.com/connect