Senior Embedded Software Engineer

This range is provided by IONATE. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more. Base pay range £65-80K - Full‑time - London/Hybrid IONATE is a deep technology start‑up building the technology backbone for smart grids. We are looking for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join our team and take ownership of real‑time firmware development—from concept through to commercial deployment in the field. What you will do Development Develop embedded software for grid‑connected inverters. Design and implement real‑time firmware from scratch for ARM Cortex‑M microcontrollers; manage memory, peripherals, interrupts, and debug low‑level issues. Develop bare‑metal and RTOS‑based applications; reason about latency budgets, interrupt priorities, and timing edge cases in real‑world deployments. Implement real‑time platforms where to deploy control algorithms and closed‑loop firmware that operate within hard timing constraints and safety requirements for grid‑connected applications. Bring up new hardware platforms: configure peripherals, integrate sensors and actuators, validate functionality, and document the integration process. Troubleshoot firmware‑hardware faults in test rigs and in the field; reproduce issues, analyse logs, and deliver robust fixes without disrupting future deployed systems. Quality and Collaboration Work closely with hardware engineers, power electronics specialists, control engineers, and systems teams to define interfaces, timing budgets, and validation strategies. Participate actively in code reviews, design discussions, technical analyses and help raise the standard of the codebase. Contribute to safety and quality processes: identify regulatory standard compliance and ensure firmware aligns accordingly, maintain traceability, and document design decisions and test evidence. Create and maintain technical documentation including requirements, design specifications, test reports, and architecture notes. Work within clear timescales to deliver projects on time with ambitious product goals. Requirements What you will need A degree in electronics, embedded systems, software engineering, or related discipline, with demonstrated industrial experience. Around 5+ years of industrial experience building real‑time embedded systems – developing, shipping and supporting firmware in complex products, from prototype through to deployment. Solid understanding of real‑time and deterministic embedded software design principles. Demonstrable experience of working on embedded software projects using C/C++. Solid understanding of C and its underlying implementation cost function. Ability to write efficient, predictable and maintainable code under strict constraints. Proven experience developing bare‑metal and RTOS applications, managing interrupt priorities and latency budgets, and debugging race conditions and timing issues in deployed real‑time systems. Solid understanding of interrupt handling, inter‑processor communications and synchronisation mechanisms. Good knowledge of performance optimisation techniques and hardware/software interaction. Ability to diagnose firmware‑hardware faults using oscilloscopes, logic analysers, JTAG debuggers, and low‑level inspection. Soft Skills Strong communication and written skills. Willingness to travel nationally and internationally for testing/commissioning when required. It would be useful to have Understanding of power electronics, grid interconnection, or motor control firmware. Proven track record of developing for ARM‑Cortex‑M/R/A processors. Proficiency in a scripting language (e.g. Python, TCL, Bash) for test automation, tooling or data analysis. Experience architecting real‑time Linux drivers or kernel modules; understand device trees, OS‑level interrupt handling, and the trade‑offs between RTOS and embedded Linux. Working knowledge of MPSoC platforms (Xilinx Zynq) and experience with FPGA languages such as VHDL or Verilog. Experience with communication protocols such as UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet and USB. Ability to read PCB schematics and datasheets; experience testing/debugging PCBs. Previously set up or maintained CI/CD for embedded code, written unit tests for firmware, or used static analysis tools to catch defects early. Knowledge of digital closed‑loop control applications. Experience writing or reviewing firmware against safety standards. Benefits Flexible working schedules: based in our modern West London offices with hybrid work‑from‑home arrangements. Private Medical & Dental Insurance from day one through Bupa, with options for dependents. Employee Option Plan – equity in IONATE. Company pension – competitive, flexible and sustainable. Career Development – ongoing professional development and career growth. Cycle to Work – scheme to help purchase a bicycle or electric car. Slow travel – extra 2 slow travel days per year for low‑carbon travel. 3 reasons why you should apply • You’ll work on something that matters. Seeing our tech used in solar farms, batteries, and electricity grids shapes the green energy transition. • The thinking here is not your average exercises on repeat – cutting‑edge ideas and freedom to explore. • The rocket ship is taking off. IONATE is scaling rapidly with global projects and an early‑adopter role offers ample growth. IONATE has a friendly team that collaborates and supports one another. If you don’t fit all the description above, but you are passionate about the work we are doing and could add value to our team, please get in touch. We believe in making positions fit the skills of people, not the other way around. We are also committed to providing equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone. We value diversity in race, gender identity, sexuality, age, family or civil status, disability, religion, or ethnicity and encourage you to apply wherever you come from. Seniority level Mid‑Senior level Employment type Full‑time Job function Non‑profit Organizations and Primary and Secondary Education Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at IONATE by 2x London, England, United Kingdom #J-18808-Ljbffr