About the opportunity
Principle HR is partnering with a world-leading technology company to hire a Senior Software Engineer into its AR/VR research division. The audio research team is building the future of immersive sound: virtual audio that can't be told apart from reality, and technology that helps people hear and connect in the most difficult listening environments.
You will own and develop the software behind a specialist research lab in Cambridge. You'll connect prototype smart glasses, wearables and third-party sensors to a distributed data collection platform. The data you capture goes directly to world-class research teams. This is a hands-on engineering role in a lab setting, working alongside audio engineers, recording technicians and research scientists in the UK and US.
What you will be doing
- Building and maintaining Python backend systems and pipelines that interface with prototype wearables, microphone arrays, motion-capture cameras and other sensors
- Developing device controllers and enhancing the lab's command-and-control web platform
- Automating and optimising data validation and processing workflows to speed up delivery to research teams
- Deploying, testing and upgrading a distributed, networked data collection platform
- Building monitoring tools to keep systems healthy and collections reliable
- Providing onsite support during live collection sessions, debugging hardware/software issues and leading root cause analysis
- Scoping, estimating and designing solutions with an international team of engineers and researchers
What you will bring
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
- Strong Python backend development on large codebases, ideally including FastAPI or a similar framework
- Proficiency in Linux and shell scripting for automation and system management
- Experience building and supporting distributed, concurrent and RESTful systems
- A solid understanding of IP networking, including IPv4/IPv6, VLANs and network topology
- Hands-on experience integrating or troubleshooting hardware, embedded devices or sensors
- A degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience
Nice to have
- Experience with audio, video or image formats and multimedia sensors
- Knowledge of time synchronisation across devices
- Relational and NoSQL/graph databases
- Hardware and software testing frameworks
- Some React or frontend exposure
- Windows systems administration
What you can expect
- 25 days annual leave plus company days and 9 public holidays
- Weekly pay and paid approved overtime
- Pension scheme
- Access to onsite offices, cafes and facilities
- A dedicated Principle HR consultant supporting you throughout your contract
The role is split between offices in central Cambridge and a research lab in Bourn, Cambridgeshire. Candidates must be based in the UK for the length of the contract.