Software Engineer

Salary: £90,000 - 90,000 per year

• Design, develop, test and maintain high-quality software for safety-critical airborne systems, primarily using C, with C++ and Python where appropriate.
• Contribute across the full software development lifecycle, from requirements capture and design through to implementation, integration, verification and qualification.
• Work closely with Systems, Hardware, Test and Flight Operations teams to solve aircraft-level challenges and deliver integrated engineering solutions.
• Support software integration, debugging, test automation and evidence generation for qualification and certification activities.
• Participate in technical reviews, challenge assumptions constructively and help strengthen engineering best practice.
• Contribute to a culture of technical excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.

• Embedded
• Hardware
• Support
• Python
• C++

We are AALTO, an Airbus subsidiary and global leader in stratospace, based in Farnborough. We manufacture, operate and deliver services with our solar-powered stratospheric platform, Zephyr, enabling continuous flight for months at a time and supporting applications such as direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation. We operate in a new layer between most air traffic and low-Earth orbit, helping monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities. This is a full-time, permanent hybrid role (37 hours) within Team AALTO, a highly skilled, innovative and passionate multidisciplinary engineering team. We offer a market-aligned salary, short-term incentive plan, 25 days of holiday, private medical insurance, dental and optical cash back, personal pension, income protection, life assurance, salary sacrifice scheme, employee assistance programme and employee discounts via Perkbox. We also support flexible working discussions where possible.

last updated 36 week of 2026

• Practical software engineering experience, ideally including 3+ years in aerospace or another safety-critical environment.
• Experience contributing to airborne software development within a DO-178C environment, including requirements, design, implementation, integration and verification.
• Strong C programming skills, with experience in C++ and Python.
• Experience working with embedded, real-time or resource-constrained software systems.
• Familiarity with software requirements management, verification, traceability and configuration management processes.
• Strong problem-solving, debugging and analytical skills, with the ability to work methodically through complex technical issues.
• A collaborative communication style and the confidence to work effectively with engineers from multiple disciplines.
• Awareness of related standards such as DO-330, DO-331, DO-332, DO-333, ARP4754A/B, DO-278, DEF STAN 00-55 or DEF STAN 00-56 would be advantageous.