Mission:
At TEKEVER, our autopilot runs on avionics hardware we design ourselves, for aircraft that operate in the most demanding environments. As Embedded Systems Engineer on the Autopilot Hardware side, you will own the electronics that host our flight control software: mixed-signal PCBs, sensor interfaces, power conditioning, and the test infrastructure that proves they work. You will take designs from schematic and layout through bring-up, environmental qualification, and DO-254 evidence — making sure every board that goes into a TEKEVER aircraft is verifiably safe to fly.
What will be your responsibilities:
Design schematics and multi-layer PCB layouts for autopilot avionics — analog, digital, and mixed-signal — including MCU subsystem, sensors, power, communication, and protection circuitry.
Translate system and software requirements into hardware solutions; trade off performance, cost, qualification level, supply chain, and certification implications.
Select active and passive components with attention to lifecycle, second sourcing, and qualification (industrial / automotive / aerospace grade).
Manage signal integrity, power integrity, EMC/EMI, and thermal performance from schematic through layout, simulation, and bench validation.
Define test control points and Design-for-Test access early in the design — test pads, headers, JTAG/SWD, boundary scan, observation nets — so every board can be characterised, debugged, and produced reliably.
Lead board bring-up: validate power rails, clocks, resets, peripherals, and signal quality; collaborate with the firmware team to debug at the silicon/board boundary.
Integrate and characterise sensors (IMU, GNSS, magnetometer, barometer, pitot/air-data) at the hardware level — sensor interfaces, isolation, timing, and noise budgets.
Plan and execute hardware validation campaigns aligned with DO-160 environmental categories: functional verification, temperature, vibration, shock, EMC/EMI, lightning, and accelerated life testing.
Own the hardware validation process end-to-end: requirements traceability, test plans, test cases, test rigs, and test reports.
Produce DO-254 evidence — Plan for Hardware Aspects of Certification (PHAC), Hardware Design Plan, Hardware Verification Plan, Configuration Management and Process Assurance artefacts — and support certification interactions.
Maintain technical documentation: schematics, BOMs, Gerbers, fabrication and assembly files; manage engineering change notes and revision control.
Work with PCB fabricators and EMS partners on fabrication, assembly, rework, and quality; support production ramp.
Collaborate with firmware, flight control, mechanical, propulsion, production, and quality teams to keep the hardware coherent with the full system.
Profile and Requirements:
Degree in Electrical, Electronic, or Telecommunications Engineering, or a closely related field.
Hands-on schematic capture and multi-layer PCB layout experience (Altium Designer preferred; KiCad, OrCAD, or Mentor also valued).
Strong analog and digital electronics fundamentals; comfort designing mixed-signal boards.
Working knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, EMC/EMI, and thermal design for embedded avionics.
Experience selecting components with attention to lifecycle, second sourcing, and supply-chain resilience.
Comfort with DFM, DFA, and DFT — and with producing complete fabrication and assembly packages.
Experience designing for embedded interfaces and buses: CAN, SPI, I²C, UART, RS-422, and at least one high-speed bus (USB, Ethernet, or similar).
Lab proficiency: oscilloscope, logic analyser, spectrum analyser, multimeter, JTAG/SWD; comfortable bringing up a new board from cold.
Familiarity with environmental and reliability testing (thermal chamber, vibration table, EMC).
Comfort reading datasheets, application notes, and reference designs.
Familiarity with Git, Agile/Scrum, and tools like Jira.
Professional Portuguese and English (B2/C1 minimum).
High sense of responsibility, organisation, and ownership of deadlines; strong collaborator across disciplines.
Nice to Have:
Direct experience with DO-254 (airborne electronic hardware) or work on DO-254-targeted programmes; familiarity with PHAC, HDP, HVVP, HCMP, HPAP artefacts.
Familiarity with DO-160 environmental qualification for airborne equipment.
Experience with FPGA carrier boards or complex programmable logic on mixed-signal boards.
Power electronics: DC/DC, battery management, motor/ESC power conditioning, inrush and brown-out handling.
High-speed digital design (DDR memory, USB 3.x, Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe) and the associated SI considerations.
Hands-on with signal-integrity or power-integrity simulation tools (HyperLynx, Ansys SI/PI, Cadence Sigrity).
Thermal simulation experience (Icepak, Flotherm, or similar).
Mechanical/CAD collaboration (Solidworks, NX) — for enclosures, connectors, and harnessing.
Familiarity with autopilot hardware (Pixhawk / PX4 family, custom avionics) at the board level.
IPC certifications (IPC-A-610, IPC-A-620, IPC-2221, IPC-6012) and awareness of class 3 manufacturing.
Previous experience in aerospace, defence, automotive, or another safety-critical industry.
What we have to offer you
• A dynamic and collaborative working environment, with the opportunity to make a real impact
• A competitive salary package, aligned with your proven level of experience
• Meal allowance and health insurance for employees
• Shuttle transport service to the offices in Leiria, Caldas da Rainha and Ponte de Sor
• Bonus in line with company policy
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
Pre-Employment Requirements
Employment offers may be contingent upon successful completion of a background check and reference verification, in accordance with applicable laws and company policy.
Equal Employment Opportunity
TEKEVER is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
Do you want to know more about us ?
Visit our LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/tekever/
Skills Required
- Degree in Electrical, Electronic, or Telecommunications Engineering (or closely related field).
- Hands-on schematic capture and multi-layer PCB layout experience (Altium Designer preferred; KiCad, OrCAD, or Mentor also valued).
- Strong analog and digital electronics fundamentals; experience designing mixed-signal boards.
- Working knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, EMC/EMI, and thermal design for embedded avionics.
- Experience selecting components with attention to lifecycle, second sourcing, and supply-chain resilience.
- Comfort with DFM, DFA, and DFT and producing complete fabrication and assembly packages.
- Experience designing for embedded interfaces and buses: CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-422, and at least one high-speed bus (USB, Ethernet or similar).
- Lab proficiency: oscilloscope, logic analyser, spectrum analyser, multimeter, JTAG/SWD; able to bring up new boards from cold.
- Familiarity with environmental and reliability testing (thermal chamber, vibration, EMC).
- Comfort reading datasheets, application notes, and reference designs.
- Familiarity with Git, Agile/Scrum, and tools like Jira.
- Professional Portuguese and English (B2/C1 minimum).
- High sense of responsibility, organisation, ownership of deadlines, and cross-disciplinary collaboration skills.
- Direct experience with DO-254 or DO-254-targeted programmes (PHAC, HDP, HVVP, HCMP, HPAP artefacts).
- Familiarity with DO-160 environmental qualification for airborne equipment.
- Experience with FPGA carrier boards or complex programmable logic on mixed-signal boards.
- Power electronics experience: DC/DC, battery management, motor/ESC power conditioning.
- High-speed digital design experience (DDR memory, USB 3.x, Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe) and associated SI considerations.
- Hands-on with SI/PI simulation tools (HyperLynx, Ansys SI/PI, Cadence Sigrity).
- Thermal simulation experience (Icepak, Flotherm, or similar).
- Mechanical/CAD collaboration experience (Solidworks, NX).
- Familiarity with autopilot hardware (Pixhawk / PX4 family) at the board level.
- IPC certifications (IPC-A-610, IPC-A-620, IPC-2221, IPC-6012) and awareness of class 3 manufacturing.
- Previous experience in aerospace, defence, automotive, or other safety-critical industries.
What We Do
TEKEVER is a pan-European technology company developing AI-driven autonomous systems for civil and defence missions. It designs, manufactures and operates unmanned aerial systems, while providing data and intelligence services, AI-based analytics, mission management and training. Its capabilities support surveillance, search and rescue, maritime patrol, border security, emergency response and environmental monitoring through integrated operational solutions for customers worldwide.
