Senior Robotics & Embedded Software Engineer

Role Description

Salary – in the region of 60k PA commensurate with experience candidate + workplace pension scheme

Primary Location – Southampton, UK

Permanent, Full time (salaried 40 hours per week)

Annual Leave – 33 days per year including public holidays

ecoSUB Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are robotic platforms at the leading edge of subsea technology development.  They are affordable, intelligently designed and extremely disruptive to the market, markedly increasing accessibility to a wide range of users in research, offshore energy, and defence markets.  Following the release of production systems, the ecoSUB division is in the process of growing a strong team of talented engineers to advance the system and achieve the growth plan.

The Senior Robotics & Embedded Software Engineer role is responsible for software development for the ecoSUB AUV. The embedded software is very much at the heart of the AUV system and as such is the lead engineering role. This role involves working closely with mechanical and electronics development to ensure complete system functionality and cohesive operation.  The role is primarily R&D focused with aspects of existing system support.  The Senior Robotics & Embedded Software Engineer role will involve supporting colleagues and will benefit from career development opportunities and excellent compensation.  The role will involve fieldwork and travel, with time spent at sea guaranteed.  Required offshore training will be provided.  

Primary responsibilities:

• Develop, test and document software architecture for AUV systems
• Contribute to the drafting of specifications, working with commercial and research development projects and implementing software design to support product design
• Lead integration of hardware and sensors into the AUV system
• Collaborate with mechanical and electronics engineering to support overall system design
• Maintain and utilise underwater network functionality
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of the complete AUV system
• Assist in production technical documentation and manuals
• Work closely with production to ensure smooth transition from R&D to production
• Support personal and career development and activities of the ecoSUB engineering team

Essential software development skills:

• Software for embedded systems
  • Proficient in C++
  • Python
  • ROS 1 (Experience to include system structure)
  • Linux system manipulations, terminal use
  • Screenless system management (using SSH)
  • Data processing using Python or MATLAB System update deployment
  • Kernel device tree writing
  • Kernel building
  • Docker container development and usage
  Code quality
  • Bug reporting (Mantis)
  • Unit testing
  • Code optimisation knowledge
• Vehicle & behaviour integration
  • Experience writing interfaces using low-level communication systems (Serial, I2C, Ethernet, SPI, GPIO)
  • Navigation algorithms Mission handling – state machine
  • System control algorithm, PID
  Server management
  • Linux remote server management and maintenance
  • Gitlab management and maintenance
  • MySQL

Desirable skills:

• Microchip PIC flashing (PIC code writing advantageous)
• Data filtering algorithms (Kalman filter, particle filter, outlier rejections)
• Image processing Data management & telemetry

Experience:

• Ideally minimum of five years of experience in relevant role
• Familiarity with control systems, sensors, and telemetry
• Fluent in both written and spoken English

Personal attributes:

• The successful candidate will demonstrate a keen interest in new technologies and be excited about the scientific and technical challenges that ecoSUB offers
• Ability to contribute innovative ideas to support product development and projects
• Have a strong ability to work autonomously, with limited direction & supervision
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team

What you will get from working with us:

• The opportunity to work on awesome products that are disrupting the AUV market. The chance to build systems and test them in real world environments, spending time at sea during trials activity.  The opportunity to work with exciting customers who are using the platforms for cool science and applications.  The opportunity to travel and represent the company and extend your technical knowledge, supporting users and solving challenges.  Be at the genesis of a strong R&D engineering team that will continue to develop innovative, disruptive autonomous technologies.

Company:

• ecoSUB Robotics is a division of Planet Ocean Limited.  R&D activity on ecoSUB AUVs commenced in 2015 and production vehicles were launched to market in late 2020.  The company has a strong growth plan and looks forward to developing an awesome multi-disciplinary team of engineers, supported by sales, marketing, production and business finance/admin colleagues.  We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion within our team and welcome applications from all candidates with the pre-requisite skills and experience.

More information www.ecosub.uk

To apply:

For applications, please send your CV and cover letter to: carole@planet-ocean.co.uk