Principal Software Engineer – Scientific Instrumentation
Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Work pattern: Predominantly site-based, with some hybrid flexibility for the right individual
Sector: Scientific Instrumentation / Analytical Technology / R&D Engineering
Build the software behind advanced scientific instruments
Apply below after reading through all the details and supporting information regarding this job opportunity.
We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to lead the technical direction of software development for next-generation scientific instrumentation.
This is not a generic enterprise software role. We are specifically looking for a senior engineer with deep experience in software that interacts with real-world hardware, ideally within scientific instruments, complex electromechanical systems, industrial automation, sensing, imaging, or other high-precision technology environments.
You will play a key role in shaping products where software, firmware, electronics, physics, and instrument performance all come together. That means translating physical principles and user needs into robust architecture, embedded control, algorithms, and production-ready applications.
This role is particularly well suited to someone who has grown up in a scientific, instrumentation, controls, or physics-led engineering environment and is comfortable leading multidisciplinary technical teams.
What you will do
- Lead the software technical strategy for advanced scientific and analytical instrumentation
- Define architecture across the stack, from embedded/firmware in C/C++ through to application software in C#/.NET
- Work closely with electronics and hardware engineers on board bring-up, integration, debugging, and system optimisation
- Develop software and algorithms that interpret sensor signals and instrument behaviour using physics-based thinking, signal processing, and control principles
- Translate high-level product requirements into technical specifications, architecture, and implementation plans
- Provide technical leadership and mentoring across Software, Firmware, and Electronics teams
- Support manufacturing and product development teams with robust, production-ready technical solutions
- Drive software engineering best practice, including development standards, Agile ways of working, and CI/CD discipline
- Contribute to next-generation product development in areas such as thermal analysis, materials characterisation, and scientific measurement systems
What we are looking for
This role is aimed at candidates who combine principal-level software engineering capability with genuine experience in hardware-connected, physics-led product development.
Essential background
- 6+ years’ commercial software engineering experience in complex product development environments
- Strong expertise in C# / .NET
- Strong experience in C/C++ for embedded systems, firmware, or hardware-near software
- Proven experience leading or mentoring engineers across software and related disciplines
- Experience developing software for scientific instruments, industrial automation, medical devices, sensing systems, electromechanical products, or other hardware-integrated technology
- Strong understanding of hardware/software integration and communication protocols such as I2C, SPI, USB, and Ethernet
- Able to work from schematics, technical datasheets, and real hardware during integration and debugging
- Experience defining engineering standards, improving development process, and supporting high-quality product delivery
Essential academic/profile fit
- Degree in Physics, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related discipline with a strong physics component
- We are especially interested in candidates who understand the physical behaviour of systems, not just software patterns
- This role is not a fit for a purely generalist software background without relevant scientific, instrumentation, controls, or hardware-facing experience
Desirable
- Experience leading a multidisciplinary team
- Signal processing experience, including FFT, filtering, or image/data interpretation
- MATLAB or Python for modelling or algorithm prototyping
- Exposure to connected instruments, IoT, or cloud integrations
- Experience with cross-platform/mobile engineering such as Xamarin or MAUI
Who this role will suit
You are likely to be a strong fit if you have worked as a:
- Principal Software Engineer or Lead Software Engineer in scientific instrumentation
- Senior/Principal Embedded or Controls Software Engineer in a hardware product business
- Technical Lead in analytical devices, imaging systems, automation, sensing, or laboratory equipment
- Physicist or engineer who moved into software and now leads complex multidisciplinary development
You are less likely to be a fit if your experience is mainly in:
- Pure web/application development
- SaaS platforms with no hardware interaction
- Data science without instrument/control-system understanding
- General software roles without scientific or engineering product exposure
Location and working pattern
This role is based in High Wycombe and is best suited to candidates who can be regularly on site to work closely with hardware, electronics, and R&D teams. Some hybrid flexibility may be possible for the right individual, but this is fundamentally a role for someone who is comfortable being hands-on in an engineering environment.
Why join
This is an opportunity to shape high-value R&D products where software has a direct impact on instrument performance, scientific outcomes, and future product innovation. xwzovoh You will have real technical influence, broad scope across software and firmware, and the chance to work on genuinely complex engineering challenges in a multidisciplinary environment.