Senior Embedded Software Engineer in Chelmsford

Phare Labs exists to make homes around the world safer. We make hardware and software that protects homes and most importantly, the people who live in them. We’re building something that matters, are growing quickly, and are looking for a talented engineer to join us.

The Role

As we continue to grow, we’re looking for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join us. In this role, you’ll build the software that our hardware product, Phare C1, runs on. This role isn’t about minor improvements or marginal gains; it’s about shaping the platform our business will run on for the next decade. If you love a challenge and enjoy owning projects from end-to-end, this role is for you. It’s technical, hands-on, and involves tackling problems that are important for our success as a company. You’ll work in a small team, touch every part of the product, and play a key role in shaping something that will make a difference in the lives of those who use it.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and testing of embedded software in C/C++ for Phare C1.
• Develop, debug, and optimize firmware using various embedded system tools and techniques.
• Contribute to hardware design reviews, providing peer review feedback on schematics and PCB layouts produced by other engineers.
• Implement and maintain high product quality standards through code reviews, testing, and CI practices.
• Support and mentor other engineers on the team.

Must-Haves

• Comfort with ambiguity, speed, and full ownership over things that matter.
• 5+ years of experience of C software development in an embedded environment.
• Experience developing code for embedded systems based on an RTOS (FreeRTOS preferred).
• Experience integrating firmware with custom hardware and PCB designs.
• Experience of the software development lifecycle from concept to production, and into maintenance.
• Hands-on experience with debugging tools, hardware interfaces, and low-level programming.
• Comfort maintaining CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions preferred).
• Enthusiasm for new technologies, including AI, that help engineers accomplish more, faster.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with CMake build system.
• Experience with wireless communication systems, particularly MQTT over cellular and Wi-Fi, Matter, and/or Zigbee, Z-Wave, or other Sub-GHz protocols.
• Experience with back-end development for IoT with AWS, including management of large-scale fleets of devices.
• Experience undertaking hardware certification processes such as FCC / CE / UL / etc.
• Experience with embedded performance and low power optimization techniques.
• Experience prototyping and debugging hardware, as well as soldering and reworking PCBs, to troubleshoot issues or new implementations.

If you don’t have these experiences yet, don’t worry. They’re not mandatory.

Compensation

Compensation will depend on the person we hire and their experience, domain knowledge, drive, and learning rate. As a guide, we expect total compensation to land between £55,000 and £95,000 per year including cash and equity. For the right candidate, we will deviate from that range.

How We Work

We work in a small, tight-knit team, wear multiple hats, and adapt to changing priorities quickly. We believe in measuring output rather than input and offer flexibility with working hours and location.

Our team also shares the following core values:

• “Good-human-ness”: We act with integrity, are kind, and put other people first.
• Conscientiousness: We own our work, do it well, and take our obligations to others seriously.
• Independence: We question received wisdom and think critically to find the right solutions, not just the easy ones.

We’re also committed to building a team that is as diverse as our user base and encourage engineers from all backgrounds to apply. However, we will only consider applicants who have worked the phrase “lavender alligator” into their application somehow (e.g., in your CV, cover letter if you choose to submit one, a LinkedIn Message or email to the founders, etc.). This helps us screen out the surprising number of applicants who don’t read the job description. Bonus points if you can make us laugh.