Embedded Software Engineer

Salience Labs is developing optical circuit switching technology for AI infrastructure, aimed at significantly reducing latency and cost in data centre networks. As we move towards real-world deployment, you’ll have genuine ownership of your area, working alongside a highly technical team of physicists, engineers and software specialists on one of the hardest problems in AI infrastructure.

As an Embedded Software Engineer at Salience Labs, you’ll be right at the centre of our photonics product development. This role spans low-level firmware, rapid prototyping, and systems integration, giving you the chance to influence everything from proof-of-concept devices to our commercial platforms. You’ll collaborate across hardware, photonics, and FPGA teams to ensure smooth, efficient embedded software development, right down to the register level and all the way up to application-facing tools.

This is a full-stack embedded role, where versatility and curiosity are just as important as technical depth. We’re looking for engineers who enjoy working close to the metal, but can just as easily contribute to user-facing tools and test infrastructure. You’ll be part of a small, fast-paced team where autonomy is encouraged and impact is tangible.

• Design, implement, and document embedded software across a variety of project scales
• Work closely with hardware and FPGA teams to build robust embedded systems
• Use off-the-shelf development kits for rapid prototyping and system testing
• Select, tailor, and integrate open-source applications and embedded frameworks
• Collaborate with the Systems Test team to support test automation and data capture
• Develop internal tools and test benches for the photonics and hardware teams

• 4+ years of hands-on experience developing embedded software in C or C++
• Proven ability to own software modules from design to delivery
• Comfortable using Python and modern tooling (Git, Confluence, Jira)
• Strong problem-solver with clear analytical thinking and communication skills
• Flexible team player, able to switch between solo work and close collaboration
• Can read schematics or interpret RTL, particularly helpful for supporting hardware teams
• Have experience developing for ARM-based embedded platforms
• Know your way around I2C, SPI, PCIe, and embedded driver development
• Understand networking concepts
• Are comfortable becoming a domain expert in unfamiliar tools or technologies

This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives on building, testing, and iterating in real hardware environments. If you’re looking for a deeply technical role where you can have influence across the full product stack, and you like the sound of building the software brains of next-gen optical systems, then we’d love to hear from you.