Firmware Engineer

ALTEN; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering company in Crawley is seeking a Firmware Engineer to develop high-performance FPGA solutions for Defence and Aerospace applications. Ideal candidates should possess a degree in Electronics Engineering and have at least 5 years of experience in firmware development. Responsibilities include optimizing firmware for reliability and collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams. The role offers a hybrid work model and a competitive salary.

Benefits

Private Medical Insurance

Pension Scheme

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Social atmosphere with team gatherings

Qualifications

• 5 years professional experience in Firmware/FPGA development within Defence or Aerospace.
• Must be eligible for or already hold UK Security Clearance (SC).
• Strong communication skills and adaptability within structured engineering processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize FPGA and VHDL-based firmware for high-reliability systems.
• Verify firmware compliance using hardware description languages.
• Collaborate with teams for seamless system integration.

Skills

Embedded Software

Robotics

Firmware

C/C++

Signal Processing

Education

Degree in Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Embedded Systems

Tools

IBM DOORS

MATLAB

ModelSim

Xilinx

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 requirements 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

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. Were here to empower you and help you reach your full potential.

Join our passionate team and start building tomorrow today!

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)

Security Clearance Note

This 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. 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.

Remote Work

No

Employment Type

Full-time

Key Skills

• Embedded Software
• Robotics
• Arm
• Firmware
• Debugging
• C/C++
• Zigbee
• OS Kernels
• Signal Processing
• Ethernet
• Assembly
• Internet Of Things

Vacancy: 1