Senior Firmware Engineer

Arctic Research and Development; Cirencester; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Health Insurance

Dental & Optician

Meaningful equity package

Field travel to Arctic sites

Competitive compensation

Job summary

The Last Frontier is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to join our onsite team in Calmsden, Cirencester, UK. You will craft high‑reliability firmware for ARM-based processors and collaborate with hardware teams to integrate sensors and interfaces for extreme environments.

You will design RTOS configurations, bootloaders, and debugging tools, while ensuring code quality with Git. A strong field‑test mindset and startup attitude are valued here.

Qualifications

• 5+ years embedded firmware development in C for ARM or equivalent.
• Experience with STM32 family is desirable.
• Experience with SPI, I2C, UART protocols is essential.
• Experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr) and bare-metal design.
• Understanding of bootloaders and OTA for updating multi-processor products.
• Willingness to test in the field.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for microcontrollers and microprocessors, writing efficient, reliable, and well-documented code.
• Hardware integration with sensors and interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN).
• Testing, debugging, and validation using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers, and emulators.
• Develop and optimize RTOS configurations, bootloaders, and interrupt-driven systems.
• Maintain code quality through peer reviews and Git version control.
• Collaborate with software, mechanical, and QA teams; contribute to documentation and reviews.

Skills

Embedded firmware development

C/C++ programming

ARM Cortex (M4/M33)

RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr)

SPI/I2C/UART protocols

Hardware debugging

Git/version control

Field testing in harsh environments

Education

Engineering degree (preferred)

Tools

JTAG debuggers

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

SENIOR FIRMWARE ENGINEER

FULL-TIME | ENGINEERING

LOCATION: CALMSDEN, CIRENCESTER, UK - ONSITE, WITH FIELD TRAVEL

THE LAST FRONTIER

The Arctic is a place of extremes: unforgiving, untamed, and undergoing rapid change. A literal defrosting reveals a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity spanning energy, defence, logistics, research, and infrastructure.

ARD was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox—an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence—is why we exist. Our solution is autonomy.

We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don\'t always have to.

Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.

THE ROLE
We’re looking for a Senior Firmware Engineer to join our small team to help develop high-reliability firmware for deployment into some of the most challenging places on earth. You will be writing firmware for embedded processors (ARM M4, M33 etc) interfacing with sensors and other products via SPI, I2C, TCP/IP, LoRA, UART and much more. You will have a real impact being responsible for firmware architecture, coding, testing and debugging across the ARD products. We want you to use your knowledge and experience to make key decisions and challenge other team members to make high quality products suitable for use in the Arctic.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design & Development — Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for microcontrollers and microprocessors, writing efficient, reliable, and well-documented code primarily in C/C++ or assembly language.

• Hardware Integration — Collaborate closely with hardware engineering teams to integrate firmware with electronic components, including sensors, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN), and peripheral devices.

• Testing & Debugging — Perform unit testing, integration testing, and system-level validation of firmware, using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers, and emulators to diagnose and resolve issues.

• RTOS & Boot Systems — Develop and optimize real-time operating system (RTOS) configurations, bootloaders, and interrupt-driven systems to meet strict timing and performance requirements.

• Code Quality & Version Control — Maintain high standards of code quality through peer reviews, adherence to coding standards, and use of version control systems (e.g., Git) to manage firmware releases and revisions.

• Cross-functional Collaboration — Work alongside software, mechanical, and QA teams throughout the product development lifecycle, contributing to technical documentation, design reviews, and supporting regulatory or compliance testing as needed.

WHAT WE VALUE

• 5+ years of embedded firmware development experience in C for ARM or equivalent processors. Priori experience with the STM32 family of processors is desirable.

• Proven track record developing and delivering firmware from creating requirements, architecture design, implementation through to release including use of Git

• Experience working with SPI, I2C, UART protocols is essential

• Experience with RTOS and bare-metal design, in particular using FreeRTOS and Zephyr

• Understanding of bootloaders and OTA for updating multi-processor products

• Experience debugging on real hardware and confidence using basic equipment such as logic analysers and oscilloscopes

• TCP/IP and networking experience is a bonus but not essential

• Degree in a related engineering discipline such as firmware, software or electronics is a plus however not essential. Experience is highly valued!

• Willingness to test in the field to prove functionality and compliance

• Self-driven attitude and confidence working in a startup where you will be the subject matter expert.

NICE TO HAVE

• Understanding of electronics design such as how to read a schematic and soldering.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive compensation

• Private Health Insurance

• Dental & Optician

• Meaningful equity package reflecting early-stage contribution

• Real field exposure – travel to Arctic sites and Outposts when needed

• Mission-driven culture – focus on impact, not hours logged.
  

A note on who we want to hear from
We\'re building for one of the most demanding environments on Earth and we believe diverse teams build more resilient systems. We actively welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in engineering - whether that\'s by gender, ethnicity, disability, or background. If you\'re not sure you meet every requirement, apply anyway and tell us what excites you about the problem.