Flight Software Engineer

Flight Software Engineer

Location: Oxfordshire
Salary: Competitive (dependent on experience)

We are working with an innovative space technology company based in Oxford who are developing advanced in-orbit systems to support next-generation space missions.

As part of continued programme growth, they are looking to appoint a Flight Software Engineer to develop embedded flight software and firmware supporting upcoming missions. This is a critical role focused on delivering reliable, mission-ready software that performs essential functions in orbit.

This opportunity would suit someone who thrives in a hands-on engineering environment and enjoys taking software from architecture through to validation and deployment on real hardware.

The Role

You will be responsible for developing embedded flight software and firmware across the full product lifecycle — from early architecture and design through to testing and mission support.

Key responsibilities include:

Developing critical embedded flight software

Architecting, planning, and implementing firmware and software solutions aligned with mission CONOPS

Implementing and testing software to ensure compliance with system requirements

Supporting overall system design decisions from a flight software perspective

Leading software tasks within Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testing campaigns

Supporting internal software tool development for mission analysis and testing

Producing clear documentation covering structure and functionality of flight software

Interfacing directly with customers (government and commercial)

Managing software tasks and coordinating with contractors and suppliers

What They’re Looking For

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Software, Aerospace Engineering (or similar) with 4+ years of experience
OR
Master’s degree with 3+ years of experience

Demonstrated experience in embedded flight software development, including:

Bare-metal C programming

Development on ARM Cortex processors

Experience with RTOS or Embedded Linux

Low-level driver development (SPI, UART, I2C, CAN, etc.)

Hardware integration including actuators and sensors

Hardware-in-the-Loop development and testing

Experience working in multidisciplinary engineering teams

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desirable Experience

Experience leading or mentoring software engineers

Experience writing software for radiation environments

Background in startup or agile development environments

Experience with MATLAB, Python, Linux

Familiarity with Git, Jira, Confluence

Knowledge of spacecraft command and telemetry systems