Firmware Engineer

ALTEN; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in Crawley is looking for a Firmware Engineer with over 5 years of experience in FPGA development. The role involves generating and optimizing firmware solutions for the Defence sector, ensuring system integrity and compliance. The ideal candidate holds a relevant degree and is eligible for UK Security Clearance. A competitive salary, private medical insurance, and a flexible work environment are offered.

Benefits

Private Medical Insurance

Pension Scheme

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Flexible working

Qualifications

• Must be eligible for or already hold UK Security Clearance (SC).
• 5+ years’ experience in Firmware / FPGA development.
• Strong communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and optimise FPGA and VHDL-based firmware.
• Verify and validate firmware compliance with requirements.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams for system integration.

Skills

FPGA development

VHDL

Communication skills

Project Management

Education

Degree in Electronics Engineering or relevant technical military background

Tools

Xilinx toolchains

ModelSim

IBM DOORS

Job description

Job Description

Job Title - Firmware Engineer

Location : Crawley (Hybrid)

Seniority : 5+ Years of Experience

Roles Available : 4

Employment Type : Full Time

Clearance : As this role is within the UK Defence sector, you must hold the full right to work in the UK + be eligible to obtain / already hold a minimum of SC Clearance.

At ALTEN UK , we support some of the most advanced engineering programmes in the Defence and Aerospace sectors. Our teams are contributing to next-generation sensing, secure communications, mission systems and intelligent electronic technologies powering future military and security platforms. As part of this growth, we are expanding our Firmware Engineering capability to deliver high-performance FPGA solutions for complex, safety-critical electronic systems. You will work on cutting-edge digital architectures that demand precision, innovation and deep technical understanding.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and optimise FPGA and VHDL-based firmware for high-reliability electronic systems used in Defence and Aerospace applications.
• Verify and validate firmware using hardware description languages and hardware verification languages , ensuring compliance with performance and reliability requirements.
• Contribute to firmware architecture, simulation, integration and test activities across the full development lifecycle .
• Drive improvements in firmware development processes including documentation, scripting, reporting and automation .
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams including Electronics , Systems , Software and Test engineers to ensure seamless system integration.
• Support design reviews, requires traceability and configuration management activities in accordance with engineering standards.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems OR relevant technical military background.
• Must be eligible for or already hold UK Security Clearance (SC)
• 5+ years’ professional experience in Firmware / FPGA development within Defence, Aerospace or other high-integrity engineering domains.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work within structured engineering processes.

Technical Knowledge Beneficial to the Role

• VHDL , Verilog or SystemVerilog for digital design and implementation.
• Verification testbench architecture using SystemVerilog or C++ .
• Advanced verification methodologies such as OSVVM , UVVM or advanced VHDL verification techniques.
• Requirements management using IBM DOORS .
• Design simulation using ModelSim or QuestaSim .
• FPGA development using vendor-specific tools (e.g., Xilinx or Intel toolchains).
• Knowledge of PCIe , Ethernet , Serial Communications , AXI4 or similar high-speed digital interfaces.
• Experience with object-oriented design , image-processing algorithms , or algorithm development using MATLAB .
• Familiarity with Linux-based development environments .

Additional Information

The role will require you to have or be willing to go through Security Clearance. As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard; details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website Gov.UK. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected . Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.

Why join us?

We foster a community of dually talented individuals who are both entrepreneurs and technology specialists. Our teams embody the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, enabling us to develop solutions most efficiently.

Our commitment to sustainable growth is unwavering, and we continuously strive for accelerated transformation and continuous improvement. Through ALTEN labs, mentoring programs, internal universities, and more, we are always pushing boundaries and embracing new possibilities.

We offer incredible opportunities to join inspiring projects in the most innovative companies.

We prioritise your career development with personalised support plans tailored to your own aspirations. We're here to empower you and help you reach your full potential.

In short you get :

• A personalised career path and a rewarding management style
• A chance to work on the most exciting engineering projects and technologies along with Premium Customers
• A huge diversity of engineering projects and industries
• A competitive salary
• Private Medical Insurance
• Pension Scheme
• Cycle-to-work Scheme among many additional benefits
• Social atmosphere, regular gatherings, and team buildings
• Flexible way of working (role dependent)