Senior Embedded Software and Firmware Engineer in Oxford

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit looking for a senior embedded software engineer with a willingness to get involved in all aspects of embedded software development and testing as part of a small team. You will work on the embedded software and firmware that runs on the BBC micro:bit, supporting and positively impacting students, teachers, and partners around the world.

Working with the Embedded Software lead and wider tech team, you will develop, improve, and research the embedded systems that run on the 11 million micro:bits distributed globally. The device helps children and teachers get creative with digital technology, focusing on broadening the diversity of students passionate about computing. This is a broad role in a small organisation, working predominantly on open source projects, in collaboration with other organisations like Lancaster University, Arm, and Microsoft.

Current projects include:

• The micro:bit CODAL - the abstractions on which the primary, web-based editors for the micro:bit are built (https://makecode.microbit.org, https://python.microbit.org)
• DAPLink - the micro:bit's firmware that enables a seamless experience in classrooms so the micro:bit can be programmed from the browser
• MicroPython for the micro:bit and pxt-microbit, from which MakeCode is built.

We want to enable a diversity of people to create amazing and creative things with the micro:bit, so empowering them to do as many different things, as easily as possible, is a key goal. The successful candidate will help us push the limit of what can be done with the micro:bit hardware, with an emphasis on writing expandable, efficient software, with user-friendly interfaces.

Requirements

• More than 4 years experience developing C/C++ drivers and software to run on embedded devices (ideally Arm Cortex-M).
• Ideally on an RTOS or similar.
• Experience debugging software in embedded systems using electronic lab tools.
• Familiarity with test methodologies for embedded systems, including automated and manual tests.
• Excited to learn new tools and approaches.
• Diligent in delivering robust, tested, and maintainable solutions.
• Empathetic and effective communication.
• Capable of working autonomously to achieve project objectives and to collaborate with internal teams, external organisations, and external collaborators.

This role requires building an understanding of our audience and working closely with teams across The Foundation. You will contribute to the planning and design of new features and day-to-day operations. Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t match many (or any!) of the entries from this section. These are beneficial for the role but are not necessary. Ability to learn on the job and adapt to evolving challenges is more valuable than anything listed here.

Responsibilities

• To facilitate maintenance and development of new features in micro:bit embedded codebases: DAPLink, MicroPython, the C++ abstraction layer for micro:bit V1 (DAL) and micro:bit V2 (CODAL), ensuring continued improvement in the educational experience for users of both micro:bit devices.
• To lead the process of maintaining these open source projects, including managing their GitHub repositories, continuous integration pipelines, release management, triaging and prioritising bug reports and pull requests, and identifying when to raise prioritisation with senior members of the team.
• To manage and continue development of the documentation required to facilitate the consumption of these open source projects by other projects (MakeCode, MicroPython) and C++ users.
• To manage and continue development of software/firmware tests to maintain and improve the stability, reliability, and performance of the embedded software.
• To prototype and explore new features and support collaboration with other teams or organisations to experiment and prototype on the micro:bit platform.

There are now more than 11 million micro:bits running the embedded software stack you will be working on, and we estimate more than 65 million children around the world have learned to code with the BBC micro:bit. We have achieved this by working closely with engineering teams at our global partners, including Arm, Microsoft, MIT, and Nominet. Through these partnerships, the micro:bit is at the heart of a diverse ecosystem of hardware accessories, software editors, and educational resource providers. A key role of the tech team at The Foundation is to support this ecosystem in growing and diversifying in an open way.

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is committed to improving the diversity of our team. We actively seek and welcome applications from women and from all sections of the community.

Benefits

• Location - Oxford, UK (flexible). For this role, we believe there is value in face-to-face collaboration for design discussions and mentoring. This position is based at our central Oxford office; however, a significant amount of flexible working is possible. We expect this role to be in the office at least 2 days per week on average. However, if you are not local to Oxford and are really excited about this opportunity, we would still love to hear from you.
• Global impact with your work. We are a small organisation with a large audience and reach. We thrive on creative problem solving and are open to new ideas and solutions. This gives each individual the chance to have enormous impact, as well as ensuring that your days will be diverse and the challenges complex.
• The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a UK-based not-for-profit with the goal to inspire every child to create their best digital future. We achieve this through a combination of global grassroots activity and large-scale deployments with partners; for example, last year we deployed micro:bits into 90% of UK primary schools in a project with Nominet and the BBC. One of the greatest benefits of working at micro:bit is knowing that the work you’re doing is contributing to something positive, constructive, and with beneficial social outcomes.
• The Micro:bit Educational Foundation offers the opportunity to include outreach activities in your work, these can include working with tech community groups, teaching with the micro:bit at code clubs, and so on.
• Once the probationary period is complete, contractual benefits include group private medical and group life insurance plan, EAP plan, flexibility in working hours, flexible annual leave policy (taking a minimum of 20 days a year not including national holidays), and pension arrangement.

Flexibility

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is a flexible employer and we love to support our team to work around other commitments in their lives, and we have a track record of actually doing this. Please get in touch if you’re interested in this role but you require different working arrangements. This is a full-time role but we would also consider candidates working 4 days a week on a pro-rata basis (a choice common across the team).

Salary £45,000-65,000 depending on experience.

Application & recruitment schedule

There is no fixed closing date for this role. We will be conducting interviews on an ongoing basis. We monitor our performance on hiring diversity, using a questionnaire at the end of the application process. This is viewed by the operations team only; the aggregated data is shared with the wider team. The questionnaire is optional and you have the choice to not answer any question, but it is hugely valuable for us to understand our performance in this area. The questionnaire can be accessed by clicking on this link: Embedded Software Engineer Equal Opportunities Monitoring.

Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK.