Embedded Software Engineer

Salience Labs; Oxford; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Salience Labs Limited is hiring an Embedded Engineer to join the Software team at a pivotal growth stage. You will work on embedded systems at the heart of our technology, collaborating with hardware and test teams to bring complex products to life.

This hands-on role expects quick contribution and helps reduce delivery bottlenecks as we scale. You’ll contribute to the embedded codebase in C/C++, support product development and customer activities, and build a broad understanding of the full

Qualifications

• 3+ years of embedded software experience.
• Strong in C or C++ development.
• Comfortable working across hardware and software teams.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the embedded software codebase primarily in C/C++.
• Support product development, production testing, and customer-facing activities.
• Collaborate with hardware and system test teams to debug and optimise performance.
• Take ownership of software tasks and deliver to a high standard.
• Gain understanding of the full product stack beyond individual components.

Skills

Embedded software

C/C++

Problem solving

Job description

Job Overview

We’re hiring an Embedded Engineer to join our Software team at a critical point in our growth. This role is essential to maintaining momentum across product development, production readiness, and customer delivery. You’ll work on embedded systems that sit at the heart of our technology, collaborating closely with hardware and system test teams to bring complex products into the real world. While embedded software is central, this role suits someone with a broader engineering mindset, strong problem-solving instincts, and a genuine curiosity for how systems work end to end. This is a hands-on position where you’ll be expected to get up to speed quickly, contribute meaningfully from early on, and help reduce delivery bottlenecks as we scale.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Contribute to the embedded software codebase, primarily in C and C++


• Support product development, production testing, and customer-facing technical activities


• Collaborate closely with hardware and system test teams to debug and optimise system performance


• Take ownership of software tasks and deliver them to a high standard


• Build a working understanding of the full product stack, beyond individual components


• Help remove bottlenecks in the software team as we move towards wider product deployment


• Work across engineering functions to ensure alignment between software, hardware, and system validation


• Quickly get up to speed with development tools, environment, and product architecture


• Support broader engineering needs, including manufacturing readiness and external demonstrations where required

What We’re Looking For

• Strong experience in embedded software development, ideally 3+ years using C or C++


• Proven ability to contribute to an existing codebase with minimal ramp-up time


• Solid analytical and problem-solving capability, with a structured approach to debugging


• Experience working in cross-functional engineering teams, particularly alongside hardware


• A pragmatic, delivery-focused mindset with good judgement on speed versus quality trade-offs


• Clear communication skills, especially when working across technical disciplines


• A generalist engineering attitude, with curiosity beyond a narrow specialism

Even Better If You

• Have experience with non-embedded software, such as Python or JavaScript


• Have worked with microcontrollers such as STM32 or Xilinx platforms


• Understand transport protocols such as I2C, SPI, PCIe, Ethernet, or AXI


• Can read and interpret hardware schematics


• Have some familiarity with networking or IT infrastructure


• Have exposure to machine learning concepts


• Have experience in early-stage or deep-tech environments

Salience Labs Limited is a leader in photonic solutions targeting connectivity for AI datacenter infrastructure. Backed by over a decade of research from the University of Oxford in the UK and the University of Münster in Germany, Salience’s innovative developments in photonic switching technology enable high-speed, ultra-low latency networking fabrics that remove infrastructure bottlenecks for AI workloads.