Salary: £36,000 - 76,000 per year Requirements: Strong embedded C/C++ development skills. Skilled at defining engineering processes and guiding teams in their application. Ability to generate clear specifications, architectures, verification plans and test procedures. Proven ability with current microcontrollers and SoC technologies and trends. Strong documentation and technical communication skills tailored to internal and external audiences. Ability to select the most appropriate technology based on requirements, risk, cost and time. Background delivering to safety-related standards (e.g., SIL, ASIL). HNC/HND or degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or equivalent. Strong sense of ownership and accountability for engineering outcomes. Professional and confident communicator with suppliers, customers and internal stakeholders. Effective problem solver with a focus on risk reduction and pragmatic decision-making. Collaborative team player who encourages knowledge-sharing rather than competition. Adaptable, able to work to a plan while managing change effectively. Motivated, supportive leader with a track record of developing others. Able to maintain a productive, positive and continuous-improvement-focused working environment. Responsibilities: Establish, grow and lead an embedded software engineering capability covering microcontrollers and SoC systems. Provide technical authority, governance and oversight across all embedded development activities. Define, develop and maintain robust engineering processes, workflows and best-practice guidelines. Build shared, reusable modules and libraries to enable quicker, lower-risk delivery on future projects. Grow the teams design and verification toolsets in line with business strategy. Lead the planning, delivery, monitoring and reporting of embedded software work packages. Scope, estimate and review engineering effort to support bids, proposals, and change requests. Translate customer and system requirements into clear, maintainable software specifications. Develop preliminary architecture concepts and oversee the creation of detailed designs. Define verification strategies, validation plans, and test cases, ensuring traceability to requirements. Produce high-quality documentation including design descriptions, verification reports, and release records. Ensure engineering deliverables meet internal quality standards, compliance requirements and safety standards (e.g., SIL, ASIL). Foster strong collaboration between software, firmware, and hardware engineering teams. Enable knowledge-sharing and cross-functional development while maintaining specialist expertise. Support smooth integration between embedded software and hardware platforms. Mentor, coach and develop embedded engineers at all levels. Participate in recruitment, selection and onboarding of new team members. Manage tasking and provide oversight for internal engineers and specialist contractors. Technologies: Embedded Firmware Hardware Support Sonar C++ Security More: We are a leading maritime defence client based in Winfrith, Dorset, offering hybrid working arrangements with 3 days per week onsite. Our team is currently seeking a Principal Embedded Software Engineer for various exciting projects, including underwater vehicle control systems and sonar equipment. The successful candidate will play a senior technical role and may take on leadership responsibilities, driving the development of high-quality embedded solutions across multiple technologies. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and innovative working environment that supports professional growth. last updated 9 week of 2026