Copello are seeking an experienced Embedded Systems Engineer for a 3–6 month contract with a leading defence organisation based in Buckinghamshire. This is a technically challenging role within a highly regulated environment, supporting the development of advanced systems, ideally within an avionics or wider defence context.
The successful candidate will combine strong hands-on embedded development expertise with the ability to lead and coordinate a small engineering team. This role is inside IR35 and requires candidates to be eligible for SC clearance.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and manage a small embedded systems engineering team, providing technical direction and oversight
* Design, develop and debug embedded software for ARM-based SoCs
* Develop and maintain secure boot chains and low-level board support packages
* Work across bare-metal and RTOS environments
* Support integration, verification and validation activities within a defence framework
* Perform hardware bring-up, debugging and fault analysis using JTAG/SWD tools
* Collaborate with systems, hardware and test engineers to ensure robust system performance
* Ensure compliance with relevant defence and safety standards
Essential Skills & Experience
* Proven experience within the defence sector (ideally avionics)
* Strong background in embedded systems development
* Experience with ARM-based SoCs
* In-depth knowledge of boot chains and secure boot processes
* Experience with ARM Cortex-M (including TrustZone)
* Hands-on experience with JTAG/SWD debugging
* Experience working with STM32MP1 and/or STM32MP2 platforms
* Development experience in bare-metal and RTOS (ROTS) environments
* Prior team leadership or technical management experience
* Strong problem-solving and debugging skills
Desirable Experience
* Avionics systems development
* Secure embedded design principles
* Familiarity with safety-critical development standards
Due to the nature of the project candidates will be required be able to work onsite 4 days a week and will require valid SC or eligibility for SC clearance.
Role is inside IR35 and is paying a flexible rate depending on experience