Senior Embedded Robotics Firmware Engineer (C++/ARM)

SPT Labtech; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Pension plan

Annual discretionary bonus

Job summary

SPT Labtech in Cambridge seeks a Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Robotics to design and implement firmware that powers our lab robots. You will develop embedded C++ for ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers, driving motors, reading sensors and integrating hardware over CAN and Ethernet.

You will shape firmware architecture, collaborate with electronics and mechanical engineers, and contribute to PC-side C# .NET tools.

Qualifications

• Solid commercial experience in embedded software or firmware development.
• Strong, hands-on C/C++ on ARM microcontrollers (Cortex-M series or similar).
• Demonstrable experience contributing to firmware and system architecture, defining module boundaries and interfaces between components.
• Practical, hands-on experience implementing motor and actuator control in production hardware.
• A track record of integrating third-party or OEM hardware modules into a larger system.
• Confidence working across CAN, Ethernet (TCP/UDP), UART, SPI, I²C and GPIO.
• Working knowledge of C# .NET, sufficient for device-facing PC-side code.
• Exposure to RTOS environments and standard embedded debugging tools.
• A disciplined approach to reliability: fault detection, diagnostics and recovery mechanisms.
• Comfortable with unit testing, continuous integration and version control (Git).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain embedded software in C++ for ARM Cortex-M series microcontrollers — firmware that ships inside real instruments.
• Implement motor and actuator control across open-loop, closed-loop and hybrid schemes with electronics team on motor drives and robotic hardware.
• Integrate OEM and third-party modules, barcode readers, thermal units, pneumatics and similar over CAN, Ethernet, UART, SPI, I²C and GPIO, writing the device drivers that connect them into the system.
• Shape the firmware and system architecture: module boundaries, interfaces and the communications that tie distributed microcontrollers together.
• Contribute to the lower-level, device-facing C# .NET code on the PC side that talks to the embedded layer.
• Implement signal acquisition and conditioning for sensors and transducers fitted throughout each instrument.
• Design in reliability from the outset, fault detection, diagnostics, recovery, watchdogs and built-in self-test.
• Troubleshoot and debug complex embedded software, hardware interfaces and robotics system issues, including on the CAN bus.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to junior engineers, and help raise the bar for software development practice across the team.
• Produce clear technical documentation: specifications, designs, architecture and user-facing material.

Skills

Embedded software engineering

C/C++ on ARM Cortex-M

System-level thinking

Mentoring

Fault detection/recovery

Unit testing/CI

Git version control

Education

Degree in electronics or computer science

Tools

CAN bus

Ethernet

UART

SPI

I2C

GPIO

Job description

SPT Labtech in Cambridge seeks a Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Robotics to design and implement firmware that powers our lab robots. You will develop embedded C++ for ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers, driving motors, reading sensors and integrating hardware over CAN and Ethernet.

You will shape firmware architecture, collaborate with electronics and mechanical engineers, and contribute to PC-side C# .NET tools.