A career in electronics engineering allows you to operate in a hands-on capacity – bringing you face to face with the hardware elements of a product. Often working as part of a team, an electronics career will allow you to learn from an array of engineers – ranging from mechanical, electrical, electronics, software, and embedded engineers. A career in electronics will also expose you to a range of industries – ranging from manufacturing to complex bespoke technologies – allowing you to operate as the building blocks of innovative tech.

As an Electronics Engineer you will review requirements, design, and develop components of larger devices. This involves close interaction with electrical components. You will liaise with the wider teams – such as mechanical, electrical, embedded, and software – in order to test and debug underlying issues.

Electronics Engineer
Electronics Design Engineer
Hardware Engineer
Embedded Hardware Engineer

Graduate Electrical/Electronics Engineer
Electronics Design Engineer
Lead Electronics Engineer

Here, we aim to provide an overall range of day rates and salaries.
There are always factors to consider when assigning a day rate and salary to a role, such as the skill demand, location, complexity, level of responsibility as well as what other benefits are on offer, such as remote working. It’s also worth noting that the ‘number of years’ of experience is not an ideal measure. However, as a general guide, it should provide some ballparks and pointers…

Salaries
At an entry level, Junior/Graduate electronic engineers can take home £25,000 – £35, 000. This often comes down to specialty, location, and whether you pursued a masters.
At the mid-level, engineers normally sit between £35K and £55K. Seniors normally earn between £45K and £65K. Principals are normally £65K and up.

Day Rates
At an entry-level, for a junior/graduate a typical day rate would be around the £300 mark, at the mid-level around the £350 mark and seniors can expect a day rate of £450+ as a benchmark.

The following technologies and skills often appear on job descriptions;

Analog, Digital, Electronics, Mixed Signal, PCB, Schematics Capture, Circuit Boards, FPGA, VHDL, Embedded C, ASIC, Integrated Circuits, Microcontrollers (ARM/PIC/Texas Instruments), RF.

Often clients will look for you to hold a Bsc in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, or Physics. Otherwise they will look for candidates who have undertaken an apprenticeship related to the field. Some candidates make the move in Electronic engineering through industry experience and/or conversion courses. A technical background – be it academic or industry related – is normally necessary to secure a role in the field.

Salary:

£22k – £28k

What They Do:

Assists in designing, assembling, and testing electronic circuits and systems. Supports senior engineers in troubleshooting and project delivery.

Skills Needed:

• Knowledge of basic electronics principles
• PCB assembly and testing
• Soldering and wiring skills
• Use of oscilloscopes and multimeters
• Understanding of circuit diagrams

Salary:

£28k – £35k

What They Do:

Designs simple electronic circuits, works on embedded software, assists with product testing, and supports production teams.

Skills Needed:

• CAD tools (Altium, Eagle, KiCad)
• C/C++ for embedded systems
• Basic microcontroller knowledge (Arduino, STM32, PIC)
• Circuit simulation and design verification
• Understanding of EMC and safety standards

Salary:

£35k – £45k

What They Do:

Leads the design of electronic hardware and embedded software for complex products. Oversees prototypes and collaborates with production teams.

Skills Needed:

• Advanced PCB design and layout
• FPGA and microcontroller programming
• Power electronics fundamentals
• Design for manufacture (DFM)
• Debugging and fault analysis

Salary:

£45k – £60k

What They Do:

Owns full project lifecycles, from concept to production. Manages testing plans, certifies products for compliance, and may supervise junior engineers.

Skills Needed:

• Systems-level design
• Compliance (CE, EMC, safety)
• Low-power and RF design
• Leadership and mentoring skills
• Supplier and component sourcing management

Salary:

£60k – £75k

What They Do:

Sets design standards and leads innovation for advanced projects. Works closely with R&D and product teams to define technology roadmaps.

Skills Needed:

• Technology strategy and architecture
• Advanced modelling and simulation
• Cross-functional project leadership
• Risk and cost management
• Customer and stakeholder liaison

Salary:

£75k – £100k+

What They Do:

Oversees all electronics engineering activities, budgets, and team structures. Defines long-term strategy and engages with executive leadership.

Skills Needed:

• Executive-level leadership
• R&D and innovation management
• Global standards and regulations expertise
• Business planning and resource allocation
• External partnerships and strategic direction