Lead Real-Time Embedded Engineer – Defence & Aerospace

Leonardo UK Ltd; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Bonus scheme

Pension up to 15%

Mental health support

Online courses

Referral programme

Private healthcare

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in Luton is seeking an experienced Principal/Lead Real-Time Embedded Software Engineer to drive high integrity software for defence projects. You will design, implement and lead embedded solutions on safety-critical platforms, collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.

Key skills include C++ or Ada, RTCA DO-178C, leadership, DevOps, and hands-on lab integration. Familiarity with RTOS (Linux or VxWorks) and full software lifecycle is required.

Qualifications

• Several years of embedded software engineering in aerospace/defence or safety-critical domains.
• High-integrity coding with C++ or Ada and DO-178C experience.
• Leadership, collaboration, and ability to guide multi-disciplinary teams.
• DevOps mindset with automation across build, test and deployment.
• Hands-on integration with target hardware in lab environments.
• RTOS development on Linux or VxWorks is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver high-integrity embedded software solutions for defence projects.
• Lead and collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to achieve goals.
• Champion best practices, modular design, and toolchain optimisation.
• Drive automated build/test/deploy processes and hands-on hardware work.

Skills

Embedded software

Aerospace/defence

C++

Ada

High-integrity coding

Leadership

DevOps

Lab integration

RTOS development

Lifecycle mastery

Code quality

Tools

Linux

VxWorks

Job description

Leonardo UK Ltd in Luton is seeking an experienced Principal/Lead Real-Time Embedded Software Engineer to drive high integrity software for defence projects. You will design, implement and lead embedded solutions on safety-critical platforms, collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.

Key skills include C++ or Ada, RTCA DO-178C, leadership, DevOps, and hands-on lab integration. Familiarity with RTOS (Linux or VxWorks) and full software lifecycle is required.