Software Engineer

Job Title: Software Engineer
Salary: £31,931 - £44,166
Grade: Band D or E
Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire
Hours: Full-Time/Part time (minimum 25 hours per week)
Contract type: Open Ended
Closing Date: 27th February 2022

Background

RAL Space is the UK’s national space laboratory and has over 50 years of experience in space programmes with significant involvement in more than 210 instruments on missions to date.
STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and Research Council holidays, flexible working hours, a workplace nursery, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

List of Duties / Responsibilities

We are looking for a software engineer to design, develop and test code for both ground and space based scientific instruments and test equipment. The post is based within the RAL Space Imaging Systems Division Production & Software Group. We build electronic systems for spaceflight and hence quality, ISO9001:2015, is paramount in our work. Working closely with the Instrument science team you will be well organised, flexible, adaptable and have a good understanding of software engineering to allow an innovative approach to the mission challenges. Recent programmes have been on Lunar and Mars landers along with Earth Observation missions.

You will have experience of specifying and designing software for embedded systems. Most of the instruments developed by RAL Space have been programmed using ANSI C with no underlying operating system. As the instruments get more complex we would consider a real time operating system and experience of such systems would be an advantage.

You are also likely to support the hardware engineers and scientists by providing electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) software. This is coded in Python, C++ or C and runs either on Windows or Linux operating systems.

The group produces instrument software to either ESA or NASA standards and so an appreciation of software design methodologies, verification, validation and typical documentation requirements would be an advantage.

The role may include the following activities:

• Project documentation in accordance with the departmental standards:
  • Requirements specifications
  • Design documents (code and architectural)
  • Development and test plans
  • Test reports
  • User manuals
• Coding to the required standard in various languages.
• Test
  • Verification & Validation
  • Interfacing to hardware data busses, RAL designed FPGA and other LSI devices.
• Assisting users operating the software, making changes and corrections where required
• Support & maintenance for previously released or installed software
• Product assurance such as change and configuration control
• Working with other engineers and scientists to give an optimum design and solve problems.

If you are an experienced engineer then you will also have responsibility for Software Project Management and system engineering, including:

• Responsible for large parts of instrument development
• Seeing projects through from specification to implementation
• Generating quotes and technical submissions to prospective customers
• Maintaining a schedule for software activities
• Responsible for system design
• Review & approval of technical specifications and documents
• Working with other system engineers within RAL Space and the customer.

Shortlisting Criteria

Essential

• Degree level or equivalent experience in software engineering
• Programming in ANSI C
• Use of software configuration management tools and defect tracking tools e.g. Git.

Desirable

• Use of tool chains and debug tools such as GCC
• Use of software standards e.g. ECSS-E-ST-40
• Use of programming guidelines e.g. MISRA (S&I)
• Knowledge of an ISO9000 or other quality management system
• Knowledge of a non-conformance and/or change control system
• Previous experience of Software Project Management.
• Knowledge of C++ Programming
• Experience with using ARM or SPARC processor architecture.