Electrical Design Engineer

Electrical Design Engineer - Automated Manufacturing

Permanent | Portsmouth, Hampshire

Salary £55,000 - £65,000 + excellent benefits

Progressive Engineering Recruitment is supporting a global engineering and manufacturing organisation that designs and delivers high‑integrity, high‑performance engineered products for regulated and demanding environments. They are looking to appoint a senior Electrical Design Engineer to join the highly technical Portsmouth site as part of continued investment in automation and manufacturing capability.

This site brings together R&D engineering and advanced manufacturing, operating highly automated, bespoke production equipment using modern control systems, motion technology and machine safety systems. Engineers here have genuine influence over how equipment is designed, integrated and operated, rather than working to fixed or legacy architectures.

This is a senior Electrical Design Engineer role focused on electrical design ownership and systems‑level integration across a fully automated production line. It is not a pure electrical draughting role and not a PLC programming position. The emphasis is on bringing whole systems together, integrating machines, control panels, PLC architecture, drives, motion systems and safety circuits into a reliable and efficient production process.

You will be involved from initial specification and design through to commissioning support, combining structured electrical design work with regular hands‑on involvement on the production line, supporting integration, fault‑finding and problem solving alongside manufacturing teams.

What you'll be doing as Electrical Design Engineer:

• Taking ownership of electrical systems design for automated manufacturing equipment
• Producing functional design specifications, electrical schematics and supporting documentation
• Supporting control panel design and reviewing supplier documentation
• Integrating PLC architecture, I/O, instrumentation, motors, drives, motion systems and machine safety circuits
• Working closely with internal engineering teams and external suppliers
• Supporting build, commissioning and fault‑finding
• Managing multiple engineering activities in a live manufacturing environment

What typically fits well:

• HNC, HND or degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent hands‑on experience
• Strong electrical circuit design and fault‑finding background
• Experience in automated, control‑led or machinery environments
• Confidence using electrical CAD
• A solid understanding of PLC architecture from a systems integration perspective
• Experience with motors, drives and motion hardware
• Basic IP networking knowledge
• Comfortable working between design office and production floor

Nice to have (not essential):

• Siemens PLC and motion systems
• Simatic, Simotion or Sinamics
• Servo systems and light PLC interaction
• Robotics exposure
• BS7671 compliance knowledge
• Functional safety knowledge (ISO 13849) – full support available to develop this

Benefits

The business offers a salary of up to £65,000, plus a strong benefits package including pension up to 15% combined contribution, private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, 25 days annual leave and a flexible benefits scheme with the option to purchase additional holiday.

Location & Travel

The role is based in Portsmouth and is commutable from Southampton, Fareham, Havant, Chichester and Waterlooville within approximately 60 minutes. Occasional overseas travel may be required but is infrequent and short‑duration.

This opportunity is well suited to an Electrical Design Engineer who enjoys owning complex automated systems, working close to manufacturing, and having visibility over the full lifecycle of engineered equipment.

Apply now to find out more.

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