Senior Zephyr Embedded Engineer for RF & Networking

Filtronic is looking for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join our growing software engineering team in Cambridge. You will play a key role in the design, development and integration of embedded software and firmware for advanced RF and communications products, working across the full product lifecycle from concept and development through to volume manufacture. The role has a strong focus on Zephyr-based embedded development, with opportunities to work across embedded Linux, Yocto, bare-metal firmware, networking and secure communications.

You will work closely with experienced RF, FPGA, hardware and systems engineers, contributing to products supporting applications across telecommunications, space, high-altitude platforms and defence.

What you’ll be doing

• Contributing to the architecture, development, integration and support of embedded software across a range of products and subsystems.
• Architecting, developing and maintaining embedded firmware using Zephyr and bare-metal environments.
• Developing and maintaining embedded Linux systems, including Yocto-based platforms.
• Carrying out prototype board bring-up, using software debugging techniques, oscilloscopes and logic analysers.
• Designing and maintaining board-to-board and digital communication interfaces, including CAN, SPI, I²C, UART and RS422.
• Developing networking interfaces and services, including REST APIs, SNMP agents and OpenAPI specifications.
• Developing and debugging TCP/UDP communication layers and investigating low-level networking and protocol performance.
• Developing secure communications, including authentication, encryption, secure firmware updates and system hardening.
• Supporting vulnerability assessment and security improvement using appropriate tools and techniques.
• Developing embedded Linux services, daemons, device drivers and communication middleware.
• Leading technical troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of embedded networking and security issues.
• Defining embedded software requirements, interface specifications and technical documentation.
• Working collaboratively with hardware, FPGA and systems engineers to ensure reliable data and control interfaces.

Essential experience and skills:

• Strong professional experience developing low-level embedded software and firmware.
• Strong experience developing software using Zephyr (This is a hard requirement).
• Experience with prototype board bring-up and hardware/software integration.
• Ability to read and interpret circuit schematics and component datasheets.
• Strong C and C++ programming skills, including experience optimising software for CPU, memory and other resource-constrained environments.
• Experience developing digital communications interfaces such as CAN, SPI, I²C, UART and RS422.
• Strong debugging and diagnostic skills using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analysers and software debugging tools.
• Strong analytical, communication and technical documentation skills.

Desirable experience:

• ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A development, particularly STM32.
• Yocto, PetaLinux or similar embedded Linux build systems.
• Linux kernel architecture, device drivers, bootloaders, systemd and Linux services.
• Other RTOS environments and/or bare-metal firmware development.
• Secure networking protocols including TLS, SSH, IPSec and HTTPS.
• Authentication, encryption, secure boot and secure firmware update mechanisms.
• Python development.
• Experience working with high-frequency RF systems.
• MISRA C/C++ or other high-reliability software development frameworks.
• Linux automation, CI/CD and automated testing.
• Container technologies such as Docker or Kubernetes.
• Practical experience making minor PCB modifications or attaching leads for probing and debugging.
• Ability to obtain SC security clearance, where required.

Working at Filtronic

You’ll join a growing, collaborative and multidisciplinary engineering team, working alongside colleagues across software, RF, FPGA, hardware and systems engineering. Our engineers work on technically challenging products where embedded software is closely integrated with the underlying electronics and communications systems. The role provides the opportunity to work with established codebases as well as contribute to new product development and technology.

Salary benchmarked at the top end of the market range to attract the strongest candidates. 37.5 hour working week, 25 days’ holiday plus public holidays, with the option to buy up to 5 additional days. Contributory pension scheme with up to 8% company contribution, Life Assurance, Income Protection Insurance, Save As You Earn (SAYE) share scheme, Electric Vehicle (EV) scheme, Cycle to Work scheme, Volunteering day, Learning and development opportunities, Hybrid working available.

Want to Know More?

Relocation assistance is available, if required. This advert provides an overview of the role and its key responsibilities. If you would like details of the salary and benefits package on offer - please note that some benefits become available following successful completion of your probationary period - before investing your time in applying, or would simply like to have an informal conversation about the opportunity, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact our Talent Partner on 07483 917543. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have about the role, what we do, our culture or what it is like to work at Filtronic.