Software Design Engineer (Permanent)

Our client is an established, high-technology electronics and engineering business headquartered in Oxfordshire, operating across commercial, government, and defence markets. The organisation designs, manufactures, and delivers advanced RF, fibre optic, and sensing systems for applications including satellite ground stations, broadcast infrastructure, secure communications, and defence platforms. With a workforce of approximately 80 and a dedicated engineering team of 30, the business has achieved consistent and strong financial growth in recent years. Software capability has become increasingly central to the organisation's product strategy. Over the past 18–24 months, the business has transitioned from short-cycle, feature-level software development into the delivery of larger, more complex subsystems with higher technical, architectural, and quality expectations. This role has been created to strengthen the software team's capacity and capability as the business continues to scale. The Software Design Engineer will work as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team, contributing to higher-level and full-stack software development across embedded device interaction, networked sensor systems, user-facing interfaces, web-based tools, and internal automation systems. This is an application-level development role rather than an embedded firmware position, though regular interaction with embedded systems is integral to the work. Design, implement, and maintain high-quality C++17 software across the development stack Contribute to the architecture and implementation of new software modules Support system architects in requirements analysis and early-stage technical definition Extend and maintain existing software platforms and product features Perform software–hardware integration testing on internally developed hardware platforms Contribute to DevOps and CI/CD workflow improvements, including Jenkins/GitLab, Yocto, and containerisation Develop and improve internal tooling, automation, and AI-assisted development practices Ensure all software deliverables meet the organisation's engineering, documentation, and quality standards Initial Project Scope: Firmware device control and internal hardware–software integration User interface development for system configuration, visibility, and control Implementation of interface protocols, including optical product control and SNMP Web interface development using NGINX and REST Application-layer algorithm support as defined by systems architects Feature additions and enhancements to existing software platforms Proficiency in object-oriented, high-level programming languages, particularly C++ and Python Version control and software library management using Git Linux development environment experience, including bash and shell scripting TCP/IP networking, including DNS routing, VPN, and firewall configuration Configuration and manipulation of data within SQL databases JavaScript and HTML web development Embedded Linux build systems such as the Yocto Project Cloud or virtualisation platform administration (AWS or Proxmox) Agile development methodologies and task management tools such as Jira Candidates from RF, electronics, or adjacent engineering disciplines who possess strong core software skills and a flexible, problem-solving approach are particularly welcome. Highly competitive base salary ~ Company bonus scheme ~ Share Incentive Plan ~ Defined contribution pension plan ~ Group Life Insurance at 4x basic annual salary ~ Employee Assistance Programme ~ Wellbeing application and retail discount scheme ~ Cycle-to-work scheme ~25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell additional days