Lead Software/FPGA Engineer - Space Systems

At BAE Systems Digital Intelligence we develop world-class radio and data systems. We are launching a major new space programme, marrying our existing capabilities with new space technology.

We need skilled, enthusiastic and motivated people at all experience levels from graduate to CTO to deliver these exciting new capabilities. There are opportunities in all relevant engineering and non-engineering disciplines, both for those with space industry experience and those without.

Many roles come with opportunities for remote / hybrid working, working in our offices in Guildford and Great Baddow only when required.

We will provide you with personal development, CPD including support towards professional recognition, industry-leading benefits, and the opportunity to apply cutting-edge technology to interesting problems with the support of our highly-skilled engineering community.

Come and join us for this exciting opportunity to shape and deliver world-class space technologies.

What you will be doing (role duties and responsibilities)

You will lead a team of highly-skilled embedded software and FPGA engineers, designing and implementing platform software and FPGA firmware to run on the hardware we develop. Your software and firmware will be used by our radio, image processing and AI/ML application developers to deliver innovative new services for our customers.

You will be responsible, with your team, for the design and implementation of the platform software and FPGA firmware. As an expert, you will remain hands-on in your day-to-day work typically being involved in design and review activities and implementing and de-risking some of the most challenging areas of the designs. 

You will need experience in all of the following areas with expertise in at least one area:

• FPGA: Our systems use large modern FPGAs and SOC devices for data processing and radio DSP
• Embedded software: Low-level software is required throughout our systems, from Linux drivers to realtime and bare metal programming on a wide variety of devices
• Systems: Most of our solutions comprise of a blend of hardware, firmware and software. Early in the development lifecycle you will be involved in the design activity responsible for partitioning the functionality in to these domains taking into account the requirements and constraints.

What we are looking for (skills and experience)

We are looking for ambitious, high-calibre people with the following characteristics:

Essential:

• Experience and expertise in relevant technical disciplines, for example FPGA or embedded software (see above)
• Experience of managing and developing technical teams, including work on multi-disciplinary projects
• Experience of working on products for real world use outside a lab and the associated development processes
• Comfortable working in a dynamic environment where your work delivers into multiple projects and deadlines and priorities are changeable

Desirable:    

• Knowledge of modern remote sensing technologies, data processing systems, radio systems and space payloads
• A keen interest in the space sector and awareness of latest industry developments
• Experience of working in the space sector delivering space missions
• Knowledge of ECSS and other relevant space standards

Life at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence 

We are embracing Hybrid Working. This means you and your colleagues may be working in different locations, such as from home, another BAE Systems office or client site, some or all of the time, and work might be going on at different times of the day. By embracing technology, we can interact, collaborate and create together, even when we’re working remotely from one another. Hybrid Working allows for increased flexibility in when and where we work, helping us to balance our work and personal life more effectively, and enhance wellbeing.

Diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. We are proud to have an organisational culture where employees with varying perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds – the best and brightest minds – can work together to achieve excellence and realise individual and organisational potential. 

About BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

We use our intelligence-led insights to help defend Governments, Nations and Societies from cyber-attacks and financial crime. Our customers depend on our evolving capabilities to help them safely grow their organisations. Our unprecedented access to threat intelligence, world-leading analysts and market-leading technology means we can help them to adapt, evolve and stay ahead of the criminals.

Division overview: Capabilities

At BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, we pride ourselves in being a leader in the cyber defence industry, and Capabilities is the engine that keeps the business moving forward. It is the largest area of Digital Intelligence, containing our Engineering, Consulting and Project Management teams that design and implement the defence solutions and digital transformation projects that make us a globally recognised brand in both the public and private sector.

As a member of the Capabilities team, you will be creating and managing the solutions that earn us our place in an ever changing digital world. We all have a role to play in defending our clients, and this is yours.