Embedded Software Engineer III - Dalgety Bay, Scotland

The Embedded Software Engineer III contributes to the development and optimization of firmware and embedded software for Kopin’s next-generation AR/VR HUDs and micro-display products. This role requires strong proficiency in embedded systems, real-time algorithm implementation, and hands-on experience with hardware/software integration. The role develops software for custom hardware platforms including ARM processors, microcontrollers, and FPGA-adjacent logic and ensures robust, reliable operation across imaging, tracking, display-pipeline, and sensor-driven subsystems. This role works collaboratively across electrical, systems, optics, and mechanical engineering teams and participates throughout the full software development life cycle from design and implementation through testing, integration, and documentation.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, implement, and maintain firmware and low-level embedded software for portable and wearable devices.
• Develop device drivers, hardware abstraction layers, and board support package components for custom ARM- and MCU-based platforms.
• Optimize image-processing and digital signal-processing algorithms for real-time execution on resource-constrained embedded hardware.
• Implement and manage multithreading, interrupt handling, and task scheduling inside RTOS or bare-metal environments.
• Utilize co-processing units (DSP blocks, GPU pipelines, SIMD, or FPGA-accelerated paths) to increase computational throughput.
• Work closely with hardware engineers to define firmware-to-hardware interface requirements, timing expectations, and configuration sequences.
• Troubleshoot and debug system-level issues involving display timing, sensor data alignment, memory bandwidth, and peripheral communication.
• Apply knowledge of discrete filters, Fourier transforms, linear systems, and fixed-point arithmetic to practical signal-processing tasks.
• Participate in full software lifecycle activities including design documentation, code reviews, unit tests, regression tests, and integration testing.
• Contribute to imaging, display, or sensor-based demo applications used for internal evaluation and customer demonstrations.
• Collaborate with Systems Engineering to ensure embedded implementations satisfy system requirements, timing budgets, and performance margins.
• Maintain firmware architecture and ensure modularity, clarity, and long-term maintainability across code bases.

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline with a focus on embedded systems.
• 5-8 years of professional experience in embedded software development.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems.
• Experience with RTOS or bare-metal development, including interrupt handlers, timers, DMA, context switching, and memory management.
• Demonstrated experience developing low-level drivers and hardware interfaces (SPI, I²C, UART, GPIO, timers, DMA, display or sensor interfaces).
• Familiarity with image processing or digital signal processing concepts.
• Hands-on experience debugging embedded systems using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD, and in-circuit debugging tools.
• Ability to contribute independently to embedded development while working within a cross-disciplinary engineering team.

GENERAL:

• Hours of work: 39-hour week, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm (4:00pm on Friday) with 30 minutes for lunch; the company offers certain flexibility/change of the core working hours in line with the Flexible Working Policy, however; flexibility regarding working hours is also expected from the employee.
• LOCATION: The role is based in the Company's facility in St. David's Business Park, Dalgety Bay, Fife but flexibility around a combination of on and off-site working (work from home) is supported where practicable; a small amount of travel may be required.
• BENEFITS PACKAGE: 30 days annual leave (plus 5 statutory days), competitive personal pension scheme with company contribution, life assurance scheme.