Embedded Software Engineer

Software Engineering Contractor (Outside IR35)

Location

North of England (Office near Leeds with a mix of on-site and remote working)

Occasional travel within Europe may be required.

Contract

• Outside IR35
• Long-term opportunity with the potential for a relationship lasting 5+ years
• Initial engagement on a competitive day rate while both parties become familiar with the project with future work delivered through fixed-price work packages with agreed delivery timescales

The Opportunity

We''re looking for an experienced Software Engineering Contractor to support the development of advanced software for mobile defence platforms. This is a varied role covering embedded systems, user interfaces, networking, automation and software assurance, working on projects that combine hardware and software in demanding operational environments.

You''ll have the opportunity to contribute throughout the full software lifecycle, from design and development through to testing, compliance and customer demonstrations.

What You''ll Be Doing

• Developing software for embedded systems
• Designing and maintaining Windows, Linux and web-based applications
• Developing user interfaces and real-time control software
• Producing clear software documentation
• Manual testing, debugging and software defect resolution
• Contributing to standards compliance analysis and compliance process development
• Attending customer meetings and demonstrating software solutions
• Working independently while collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams

What We''re Looking For

Essential

• 7+ years'' experience in embedded software engineering
• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or equivalent industry experience
• Strong programming experience in C, C++ or C#
• Experience with embedded Linux and Windows application development
• Experience using the Qt framework
• Good knowledge of Java and Python
• Familiarity with web technologies such as Angular, PHP or similar frameworks
• Experience working with Git or other version control systems
• Good understanding of TCP/IP and UDP networking
• Experience developing protocol converters or gateway applications
• Knowledge of vehicle communication protocols including CAN, RS232, RS422, RS485 and USB
• Experience with embedded communication protocols such as SPI, I-C and UART
• Ability to interpret electronic schematics and understand hardware interfaces
• Comfortable learning new technologies and programming languages

Desirable

• Experience with assembler programming
• Experience defining video pipelines, and-handling video compression and decompression
• Knowledge of functional safety software development, including ISO 26262 or EN 13849

Security Requirements

Due to the nature of the work, applicants must:

• Be a British citizen
• Be eligible to obtain UK Security Check (SC) clearance

Working Style

We''re looking for someone who is proactive, self-motivated and comfortable taking ownership of technical challenges with minimal supervision. You should also be confident using modern AI-assisted development tools to improve productivity while maintaining a strong understanding of the code you produce rather than relying on AI-generated solutions.