Senior Firmware Engineer
Smart Component Technologies Ltd ·
Job Description Company Description: Smart Component Technologies Ltd designs and builds IoT monitoring solutions for the rail, energy and mining industries, putting sensing and intelligence into environments where conventional equipment struggles.
Job Description: We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Firmware Engineer for our firmware development team. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in IoT, a strong background in hardware, proficiency in C/C++ and Python, and the breadth to work with device data from the sensor through to the cloud .
The successful candidate will be responsible for the firmware development process, ensuring the delivery of robust and efficient code, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive innovation. This role offers an exciting opportunity to lead a small team of firmware engineers, work on cutting-edge IoT projects, and make a significant impact on our products.
The successful candidate will take o n our established firmware platform, its test regime and the code that processes data coming off our devices , with a structured handover and support from the existing team. If you are passionate about embedded systems, have a strong technical background, and thrive in a collaborative environment, we encourage you to apply.
Key Responsibilities
1. Contribute to firmware development, sharing technical knowledge and best practice with other team members.2. Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for IoT devices using C/C++ and Python3. Collaborate with hardware engineers to ensure seamless integration between firmware and hardware4.
Implement and optimise communication protocols such as MQTT and LoRaWAN5. Integrate firmware solutions with cloud platforms, such as AWS IoT Core6. Analyse and debug complex hardware and firmware issues7. Maintain existing codebases, improving documentation and code quality where required8.
Implement version control best practices, CI/CD and utilise static code analysis tools to ensure code stability9. Continuously explore and evaluate new technologies to improve product performance and functionality10. Maintain and develop the firmware test regime, including unit, integration and on-hardware testing, and the validation process used ahead of each release11.
Build and maintain the software modules that decode and unpack raw device payloads into structured, validated data12. Interrogate device data where needed to validate firmware behaviour and diagnose field issues, and support colleagues undertaking wider data analysi sQualifications: 1.
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field2. Typically 5+ years of experience in production quality embedded firmware development3. Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Python programming4.
Strong experience with STM32 microcontrollers and the surrounding toolchain (or a comparable ARM Cortex-M family)5. Strong familiarity with IoT protocols, such as MQTT and LoRaWAN6. Experience with cloud integration, preferably with AWS IoT Core7.
Excellent debugging skills for hardware and firmware issues8. Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and static code analysis tools9. Strong problem-solving skills10. Excellent communication and team working skills11.
Experience defining and implementing firmware test approaches, including automated and on-hardware testing12. Experience with binary protocol design and decoding of packed sensor payloadsDesirable
Skills
Domain knowledge within the rail , energy or mining sectorsExperience in implementing low-power modes and optimising power consumptionComfort analysing device data in Python (e.g. pandas) to support engineering and product decisionsFamiliarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and their implementationFamiliarity with designing, implementing and maintaining OTA firmware update mechanismsExperience with wireless communication technologies (e.g., BLE, Wi-Fi)Understanding of secure coding practices and encryption algorithmsEngagement with the wider embedded or IoT community, for example open-source contributions, talk s or technical writingWorking Arrangements: Location: Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge. Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30.
Benefits
25 days holiday + bank holidaysBirthday day offHealth InsuranceDeath in Service InsuranceJoin us if youre passionate about pushing the boundaries of embedded technology! We value innovation-driven professionals eager to make a tangible impact through their expertise in firmware engineeringhelping shape the future of connected devices worldwide! Please note we are not able to offer visa sponsorship.