Senior Embedded Software Engineer (EV Charging)

Senior Embedded Software Engineer (EV Charging)

Location: Tyseley, Birmingham (hybrid - 2 days per week on site)

Job Type: Permanent, full-time

Salary: TBC plus benefits

Department: Engineering / Product Development

About Us

Voltempo is developing rapid DC HyperCharging solutions for a range of commercial vehicle sectors, initially in the UK and progressively internationally as the transport sector electrifies. The company holds several international patents and is engaged in the end-to-end design, supply, site commissioning and servicing of charging solutions for commercial vehicles. The business is scaling, well supported by both its international shareholders and its role in the UK Government's eFreight2030 programme, where it is leading a consortium of UK logistics fleet operators to deploy the UK's first eHGV charging network.

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to play a key role in developing megawatt-scale EV charging systems. Your software will run in live depot infrastructure, including the UK's first eHGV charging network. When a truck fails to charge, a fleet misses deliveries - so reliability and the operator's experience are key.

This is a hands-on, high-impact role suited to someone who thrives in a scale-up environment - someone who can take ownership from concept through to production and in-service support, while helping shape both the product and the way we engineer it.

You will help architect and develop the core firmware and embedded software powering our patented HyperCharger EVSE, bridging low-level microcontroller firmware and higher-level supervisory applications, and building the team's depth in EV charging protocols (OCPP, IEC 61851, ISO 15118). The future will include reviewing make/buy decisions on integrated hardware, firmware and embedded software to optimise for cost, performance, reliability and maintainability.

Expect a genuine mix of work: as a guide, roughly 60% new development, 30% integration and test, and 10% supporting deployed chargers. If you are only interested in greenfield feature development, this is not the role. If you like owning a system end to end - from requirements through validation to diagnosing a fault on a live site – you’ll thrive.

Key ResponsibilitiesEmbedded Development & Architecture

• Elicit and define requirements: perform discovery and definition to scope features and functions, enabling validation and test.
• Design, develop and maintain clean, modular and efficient embedded software in modern C++, working to MISRA guidelines.
• Bring up and develop firmware for high-performance microcontrollers (e.g. STM32).
• Architect and implement communication gateways between charger subsystems, vehicles and cloud services.

Protocols & Connectivity

• Implement and optimise hardware-level and bus communication protocols, including CAN and Modbus RTU over RS485.
• Integrate the charging system with our cloud platform via OCPP (1.6J/2.0.1/2.1) over WebSockets, and implement MQTT-based telemetry for real-time monitoring.
• Integrate critical hardware peripherals, including energy meters, Insulation Monitoring Devices (IMDs), power modules and charging controllers.
• Apply and help evolve our approach to charger cybersecurity: OCPP security profiles, TLS and certificate handling, secure boot and signed over-the-air firmware updates.

Integration, Test & In-Service Support

• Work with the hardware team and external outsource partners on board bring-up, diagnostics and system validation, using oscilloscopes, CANalyzer, protocol testers and electronic loads.
• Support site commissioning and the diagnosis and resolution of issues on deployed chargers, working directly with customers where needed.
• Design for serviceability and observability: structured logging, remote diagnostics and safe remote update of charger fleets.
• Build and improve automated test infrastructure (unit tests, CI and hardware-in-the-loop) to reduce the team's manual test burden.
• Work safely around high-voltage DC equipment, following and contributing to our safe working practices (training provided).

Quality & Mentorship

• Champion rigorous engineering practice: code review, static analysis, unit testing and agile ways of working.
• Share your charging-domain and protocol knowledge with the wider team through mentoring, documentation and design reviews.
• Act as a voice of the customer within the team: consider how design decisions affect drivers, depot operators and fleet managers.

Qualifications & ExperienceEssential

• Extensive professional experience developing C++ for resource-constrained embedded systems.
• Hands-on development experience with serial/bus protocols (CAN, Modbus/RS485) and network messaging (MQTT, WebSockets).
• Proven background with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and/or bare-metal environments, and integrating firmware with higher-level applications (Windows and/or Linux).
• Experience of firmware/hardware integration, troubleshooting and test, including supporting a product in service - diagnosing and fixing issues in the field.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering or a closely related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

Strongly Preferred

• Hands-on experience with EV charging (EVSE) systems and protocols: OCPP (1.6/2.0.1), IEC 61851, ISO 15118 / DIN 70121. Candidates without direct EVSE experience but with demonstrable depth in an adjacent protocol-heavy, safety-conscious domain (automotive, industrial control, energy) are also encouraged to apply.

Desirable

• Experience implementing (not only integrating) charging protocol stacks, for example SECC-side ISO 15118; awareness of the Megawatt Charging System (MCS).
• Experience with the STM32 family, and integrating hardware security modules or power electronics.
• Embedded Linux experience (Yocto, Torizon or similar).
• Windows application development experience (our current supervisory layer is Windows-based).
• Working experience of coding to MISRA guidelines.
• Awareness of functional safety and safe working around high-voltage DC systems.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Ability to lead development workstreams and deliver independently.
• Ability to elicit requirements and turn them into well-engineered, optimised solutions.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making; calm and methodical when debugging issues on live sites.
• Customer-focused: you care how drivers and fleet operators experience the charger, not just how the firmware looks.
• Effective communication and collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including customers.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams concurrently and adapt to evolving priorities in a startup/scale-up environment.
• Enjoys sharing knowledge and raising the capability of the team around them.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid role: 2 days per week at our Tyseley (Birmingham) site, with flexibility around lab and integration work.
• Travel to deployed infrastructure sites to support commissioning and issue resolution as needed; a full UK driving licence is desirable.

What We Offer

• The chance to put your software into the UK's first eHGV charging network, on a team small enough that your decisions shape the product.
• Enhanced Pension Contributions: at 5% employer contribution
• Life Insurance at three times your basic annual salary
• Company Discretionary Bonus Scheme
• EV Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Enhanced Family Leave Benefits

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