Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Senior Embedded Software Engineer – Energy Sector

Salary: £70,000 – £90,000 + benefits Hours: Full-time, Permanent Location: Birmingham – Hybrid, 1-2 days per week required in the office (Flexible)

We’re looking for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join a growing engineering team developing high-performance technology for the energy sector. This is a hands-on role where you’ll take ownership of embedded software and firmware from initial requirements and architecture through to integration, validation and in-service support. You’ll work across both low-level microcontroller firmware and higher-level supervisory applications, developing software used within complex, high-power infrastructure. Reliability, performance and maintainability are critical, so we’re looking for someone who enjoys solving challenging engineering problems and taking genuine ownership of the systems they develop. The role offers a varied technical workload, with approximately 60% new development, 30% integration and testing, and 10% in-service support.

About the candidate You’ll be an experienced Embedded Software Engineer with a strong background in modern C++ and developing software for resource-constrained embedded systems. You’ll be comfortable working across firmware, hardware and higher-level applications and have experience taking products beyond initial development into integration, testing and live operation. We’re particularly interested in experience with:

Modern C++ within embedded environments and working to MISRA guidelines

High-performance microcontrollers such as STM32

RTOS and/or bare-metal development

CAN and Modbus RTU over RS485

MQTT, WebSockets and network-connected embedded systems

Firmware and hardware integration, troubleshooting and validation

Windows and/or Linux-based higher-level applications

Secure boot, TLS, certificate handling and signed over-the-air firmware updates

Automated testing, CI and hardware-in-the-loop testing

High-voltage DC systems and power electronics

Experience within the energy sector, industrial control, automotive, power electronics or another safety-conscious, protocol-heavy environment would be particularly relevant. Experience with OCPP (1.6J/2.0.1/2.1), IEC 61851, ISO 15118 / DIN 70121 and Megawatt Charging System (MCS) would also be highly valuable, although direct charging-sector experience is not essential. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering or a closely related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

What you’ll do You’ll take a leading role in the development and evolution of embedded software and firmware for complex energy infrastructure. Your responsibilities will include:

Eliciting and defining technical requirements and translating them into robust engineering solutions

Designing, developing and maintaining clean, modular and efficient embedded software in modern C++

Developing and bringing up firmware for high-performance microcontrollers

Architecting communication gateways between hardware subsystems, connected equipment and cloud services

Implementing and optimising CAN, Modbus RTU/RS485, MQTT and WebSocket communications

Integrating energy meters, insulation monitoring devices, power modules, controllers and other critical hardware

Supporting cybersecurity across connected embedded systems, including TLS, certificate management, secure boot and signed OTA updates

Working alongside hardware engineers and external technical partners on board bring-up, diagnostics and system validation

Using tools including oscilloscopes, CANalyzer, protocol testers and electronic loads to investigate and resolve issues

Building automated test infrastructure, including unit testing, CI and hardware-in-the-loop testing

Designing systems with serviceability and observability in mind, including structured logging and remote diagnostics

Supporting commissioning and diagnosing complex issues within deployed systems

Contributing to safe engineering practices when working with high-voltage DC equipment

Providing technical leadership through code reviews, documentation, mentoring and design reviews

Helping evaluate hardware, firmware and embedded software solutions based on cost, performance, reliability and maintainability

You’ll be someone who can lead development workstreams independently while collaborating effectively with hardware, software and wider engineering teams. A calm, methodical approach to troubleshooting and the ability to manage multiple technical priorities will be important.

Benefits

5% employer pension contribution

Life insurance at three times your basic annual salary

Discretionary bonus scheme

Salary sacrifice scheme

Cycle to Work Scheme

Enhanced family leave benefits

Opportunity to work on technically challenging, high-power energy infrastructure

If you’re an experienced Embedded Software Engineer looking to take ownership of technically challenging projects within the energy sector, we’d love to hear from you — apply today!