Embedded Software Engineer

Location: Southampton
Salary: Competitive
Industry: Defence / Electronics

Overview of the role:
We are working with an established electronics and defence technology business with a broad portfolio of advanced hardware and software products. They are looking to hire an Embedded Software Engineer to take end-to-end ownership of software development across their product range, covering sectors including electro-optic systems, video processing, and embedded control. This is a full-time, permanent position sitting within a close-knit embedded software engineering team, working alongside SoC architects and FPGA specialists, and reporting directly into the Software Engineering Manager.

Requirements

Essential:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related discipline
• At least 3 years of practical, hands-on experience in embedded software design and development
• A high level of proficiency in C++, with a thorough understanding of its associated best practices and coding standards
• A proven ability to write testable code, with solid experience in unit testing methodologies and the use of mocking frameworks
• Strong theoretical and applied foundations in data structures and algorithms, with a track record of using these to solve complex, real-world engineering problems
• Confident working within Linux environments, including system administration, scripting, and command-line operations
• A solid grasp of bootloader principles and their role in embedded device initialisation and lifecycle management
• Practical experience working with CI/CD pipelines and applying them to streamline software development and delivery
• In-depth knowledge of SOLID principles and a strong command of common software design patterns, applied to produce robust and maintainable codebases
• Extensive experience applying Object-Oriented Design (OOD) principles across the full software architecture lifecycle

Required / Highly Preferred:

• Demonstrable experience developing software to the MISRA C++17 coding standard
• Knowledge of FPGA development processes and Hardware Description Languages (HDL)
• Familiarity with video protocols and associated data formats
• A working understanding of electro-optic systems and their core functionalities
• Experience using MATLAB for data analysis, modelling, or simulation purposes
• Current UK Security Clearance at SC or DV level, or a confirmed eligibility and willingness to undergo vetting

Beneficial:

• Working knowledge of graphics APIs, particularly OpenGL or Vulkan
• Familiarity with GPU computing frameworks such as CUDA or OpenCL
• Exposure to Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence techniques, particularly where applied within embedded or defence environments

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Oliver Stewart