Embedded Engineer

Locat Technology; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Flexible hours

Job summary

Locat Technology is seeking an embedded engineer to take hardware from prototype to production. You’ll design schematics, layouts, and enclosures, then write firmware in C for low-power Bluetooth microcontrollers and build production/test fixtures.

You’ll ensure EMC/UKCA compliance and support the first manufacturing run, testing in real venues with players. The role is based in Bristol with some remote work allowed.

Qualifications

• Firmware in C for microcontrollers, shipped in real products.
• Experience taking boards from prototype to production including BOM at target cost.
• Experience with test rigs, fixtures and real-world validation.

Responsibilities

• Take devices from prototype to production: schematic review, layout, enclosure fit, BOM at target cost, design for test.
• Design the accessories for the platform.
• Write firmware in C for low-power Bluetooth microcontrollers, alongside the embedded lead.
• Build test rigs and production fixtures.
• Help get devices through EMC pre-compliance and UKCA radio conformity, and support the first manufacturing run.
• Test in real venues with players, including evenings or weekends.

Skills

Firmware in C

Production experience

Schematic/layout review

Test rigs/fixtures

Bluetooth Low Energy

KiCad

Tools

KiCad

Nordic nRF Connect SDK

Zephyr

Job description

Locat is a geospatial technology company. We build new ways for people to locate themselves and each other, that work the same in a small indoor venue as across a large outdoor event.

We’re now applying these technologies to new areas, starting with gaming, for which we have funding. Imagine next-generation laser tag, and so much more: hardware that gets people running around and interacting with the space around them, rather than absorbed by a screen.

We’ll be creating the devices and a family of accessories around them. We already have several prototypes, and this is the first of a number of hires joining our embedded lead and technical founder on the journey to a product ready to manufacture.

Who you’d join

A small team: a founder who designed most of the current hardware; a lead embedded engineer in Bristol, who brought up the boards and writes the firmware; and geospatial software and operations at our London base. You’d work day to day with the embedded lead.

What you’ll do

• Help take the devices from prototype to production: schematic review, layout, enclosure fit, BOM at target cost, design for test
• Design the accessories for the platform
• Write firmware in C for low-power Bluetooth microcontrollers, alongside our embedded lead
• Build test rigs and production fixtures
• Help get the devices through EMC pre-compliance and UKCA radio conformity, and support the first manufacturing run
• Test in real venues with real players, kids included: sports halls, pubs, parks, sometimes in the evening or at a weekend

What we’re looking for

• Boards you’ve had a hand in that got built and used: schematic review at least, your own layouts even better. We work in KiCad
• Firmware in C for microcontrollers, shipped
• At least one design taken through production, and what you learned between the prototype and the thousandth unit

Good to have, and nobody has all of them:

• Bluetooth Low Energy: any stack, ideally Nordic nRF Connect SDK or Zephyr
• Certification: EMC, radio, UKCA or CE
• RF layout and antenna work
• Low-power and battery design

If you have two of the three essentials and an appetite for the rest, apply and tell us what you’ve built.

Where, when, how much

• Bristol, at the bench with our embedded lead and at test sites. Some remote working is fine, but you’ll be in Bristol most weeks
• £50,000–60,000 depending on experience, and we’ll stretch for the right person. Pension, flexible hours
• Start January 2027, or as soon after as you can
• Permanent
• DBS check required, at our cost, as playtests involve children
• You’ll need the right to work in the UK; we can’t sponsor visas

We’ll start with a short call and take it from there.