Software Engineer (Control Systems) in Portsmouth

Salary: Up to £60,000 DOE

Full Time Permanent

Who we are: SubSea Craft is a fast growing, privately-funded, UK-based innovative maritime technology company specialising in next-generation, high-performance watercraft and systems. We operate at the intersection of advanced engineering, cutting-edge design, and user-centric innovation, delivering safe, effective, and enabling solutions for both commercial and defence applications.

What we offer:

• Pension Contribution – Pension scheme with the option to contribute via salary sacrifice.
• Annual Bonus Scheme – Eligibility to participate in the company’s annual discretionary bonus scheme, linked to individual and company performance.
• Life Assurance and Critical Illness Cover – Comprehensive protection including Life Assurance (4x salary) and Critical Illness Cover for added financial security.
• Annual Leave – Entitlement to 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Christmas Leave – A Christmas shutdown is typically observed.
• Wellbeing Day – An additional Wellbeing Day each year to focus on personal health and wellbeing.
• Family Leave – Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
• Private Healthcare – Access to comprehensive private healthcare coverage to support your physical and mental wellbeing.
• Professional Development – Commitment to ongoing learning and career growth, supported by training programmes and access to LinkedIn Learning.
• Flexible Working – Opportunities for flexible working arrangements to promote work–life balance.
• Inclusive Culture – A professional environment that values diversity, innovation, and collaboration.

Role Overview: We are looking for a talented software engineer to help shape the future of intelligent vehicle control systems. You’ll work on cutting-edge projects that blend software design, control systems, and real-world testing to deliver reliable, high-performance solutions. If you enjoy solving complex technical challenges, collaborating with a passionate team, and turning innovative ideas into reality, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities will include:

• Software design and development in line with system requirements, with a focus on closed‑loop control and vehicle systems management.
• Implementing robust, scalable closed‑loop control features including propulsion management, control allocation, autopilot, station‑keeping and more.
• Testing and validation of software, including unit testing, simulation‑based testing, bench testing, and sea trials.
• Production of comprehensive software documentation.
• Conducting peer reviews to ensure designs are reliable, modular, and maintainable.
• Collaborating closely with the software and engineering teams to ensure timely delivery of high‑quality software and documentation.

Qualifications and Experience:

Required:

• Degree‑level qualification in Computer Science, Mechatronics, Robotics, or similar, or equivalent industry experience.
• Software development experience in modern C++ (14 or newer).
• Solid foundational knowledge of closed‑loop control.

Desirable:

• Good understanding of object‑oriented programming principles.
• Experience with PID tuning on physical systems.
• Experience with ROS or ROS 2.
• Experience with CAN bus.
• Experience with embedded systems.
• Familiarity with autonomous systems and robotics software stacks.
• Experience with real‑time systems or control systems.
• Understanding of sensor fusion, path planning, or state estimation.
• Experience with marine or mobile robotics projects.

Note: Due to the nature of work undertaken at SubSea Craft, the selected candidate must be capable of meeting the security requirements of the position, which would include as a minimum existing right to live and work in the UK, Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), with UK National security clearance required for certain roles.

Values: Our people are our greatest asset, we continually strive to provide an excellent working environment to enable our team to do their best work. We have an agile professional workforce: we are founded on the belief that our people are valued and our business is trusted, inclusive and commercially adept.

What we expect from you:

• Teamwork, mutual respect and collaboration
• Initiative and independent working
• Honesty and integrity
• Business and commercial awareness
• Agility, adaptability and continuous development

We are committed to building an inclusive, diverse workplace where everyone can thrive. If you require any support or adjustments to interact with us, please let us know.

Please note that all offers of employment are conditional and subject to satisfactory DBS, driving licence and reference checks. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify candidates from employment. We will consider criminal record information alongside the wider range of evidence gathered at the application, interview, and pre‑employment checking stages.