Embedded Firmware Engineer for Underwater Vehicles

Vatn Systems; Bristol; On-site; GBP 67,133 - 89,511; Full time

Job summary

Vatn Systems in Bristol, RI is seeking an Embedded Firmware Engineer (Mid-Level) to design, implement, and maintain firmware for autonomous underwater vehicles. You’ll work across bare‑metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux, writing C, C++, and Go, and you’ll bring up new hardware to ensure reliable operation in demanding maritime conditions.

Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and autonomy engineers to translate system requirements into robust embedded solutions.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 3–5 years of professional embedded software/firmware development experience.
• Strong proficiency in C and C++ for embedded microcontrollers (bare-metal and/or RTOS).
• Hands-on experience developing firmware for STM32 microcontrollers (e.g., STM32CubeMX/HAL, LL drivers, or bare‑metal register‑level programming).
• Experience developing on embedded Linux platforms.
• Solid understanding of hardware/software integration: reading schematics and datasheets, and debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG/SWD.
• Experience with embedded communication protocols (e.g., UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet).
• Familiarity with real-time constraints, interrupts, DMA, and low-level memory management.
• Experience writing firmware for power-constrained and/or resource-limited systems (battery power budgets, tight memory/timing footprints).
• Proficiency with version control systems, specifically Git.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• United States Citizen or Permanent Resident.
• Ability to gain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain firmware in C and C++ for embedded microcontrollers (bare‑metal and RTOS).
• Develop system‑level software and services in Go, C, and C++ on embedded Linux boards.
• Bring up new hardware: board bring‑up, bootloaders, device drivers, and board support packages.
• Implement and debug communication between subsystems over interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, and Ethernet.
• Integrate sensors, actuators, and peripherals, and implement real‑time control and telemetry paths.
• Optimize firmware for performance, memory footprint, and power.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and autonomy engineers to translate system requirements into robust embedded solutions.
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests, and support hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing.
• Participate in code reviews, providing and receiving constructive feedback to improve our engineering practices.
• Troubleshoot, debug, and upgrade existing firmware, including on‑vehicle and field debugging.

Skills

C

C++

Embedded

RTOS

STM32

Embedded Linux

Go

Git

Hardware debugging

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering/CS or related field

Tools

CMake

Yocto/Buildroot

STM32CubeMX/HAL

JTAG/SWD

GCC/Toolchain

Job description

Vatn Systems in Bristol, RI is seeking an Embedded Firmware Engineer (Mid-Level) to design, implement, and maintain firmware for autonomous underwater vehicles. You’ll work across bare‑metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux, writing C, C++, and Go, and you’ll bring up new hardware to ensure reliable operation in demanding maritime conditions.

Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and autonomy engineers to translate system requirements into robust embedded solutions.