How to Land an £85k Embedded Engineer Role (UK Visa)

Job of the Week: How to Land an £85k Principal Embedded Engineer Role (UK Visa Sponsorship)

In our recent guide, The Ultimate Guide to Finding Visa Sponsorship Jobs in the UK, we laid out the complete strategy for finding top-tier roles that offer visa sponsorship. Today, we’re putting that strategy into practice by deconstructing a perfect, real-world example of such an opportunity. This week, we’re diving into a high-impact, high-reward position for a Principal Embedded Software Engineer in the heart of the UK’s “Silicon Fen,” Cambridge.

With a salary of up to £85,000 plus benefits, this role is already in the top tier. But what makes it a life-changing opportunity for global talent is the offer of full visa sponsorship and a relocation package to help you move to the UK.

Let’s break down what this company is looking for and how you can become their number one candidate.

1. The Mission: Greenfield Projects in Next-Gen Automotive Tech

principal embedded engineer visa sponsorship cambridge

The job advert, posted by Platform Recruitment, specifies this is for a “brand new team” working on “cutting-edge” and “next-generation vehicle technology.”

What this means for you: This is the opposite of a maintenance role. “Greenfield” is the magic word for engineers—it means you’re building from scratch. You won’t be bogged down by legacy code. You’ll be defining the future. Your application needs to scream “innovator” and “builder.” Emphasize your experience in creating new systems, not just improving old ones.

2. Deconstructing the “Principal” Role: More Than a Coder

At the “Principal” level, your ability to write clean, efficient C++ code is assumed. The role is about leverage and leadership. They are hiring you to be a force multiplier.

“Technical Leadership & Architectural Design”: You won’t just be assigned tasks; you’ll be defining the technical direction. You’ll be making the high-level decisions about software architecture, toolchains, and best practices that the rest of the team will follow.
“Mentoring Junior Engineers”: A huge part of your value is your ability to elevate the entire team. They’re looking for someone who can guide and develop other engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and mentorship.
“Driving Best Practices”: You’ll be the champion for code quality, testing methodologies, and efficient development processes.

3. The Tech Stack & Must-Have Skills

The technical requirements are specific and non-negotiable.

The Core Stack:
1. Embedded C/C++: Deep, expert-level knowledge is essential. Given the complexity of automotive systems, your C++ skills (object-oriented design, modern C++ features) will be particularly valued.
2. Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS): You must have hands-on experience designing for and working with RTOS environments (e.g., FreeRTOS, QNX).
3. Microcontrollers (MCUs): Proven experience with low-level driver development and bringing up new hardware is critical.
The Standout Experience: The difference between a Senior and a Principal is often architectural experience. If you have a track record of designing software architecture for complex, real-time embedded systems from the ground up, that is your single biggest selling point.

4. The “Spike” Strategy: The Architectural Vision Document

For a Principal-level role, a standard application isn’t enough. You need to demonstrate strategic thinking. Create a “spike”—a high-impact element to submit alongside your CV.

Develop a one-page “Architectural Vision” document.

This isn’t code. It’s a high-level technical proposal that shows you can think like an architect.

Title: “A Vision for a Robust RTOS Abstraction Layer for a New Automotive Platform.”
Problem Statement: Briefly explain the challenges of tying software directly to a specific RTOS in a long-lifecycle automotive product.
Proposed Solution: Outline a high-level design for a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and an OS abstraction layer (OSAL). Use simple block diagrams to illustrate how this would allow the core application logic to be more portable and testable.
Key Benefits: List the advantages: faster development, improved unit testing, easier migration to new hardware or a different RTOS in the future.

This document proves you can think strategically about long-term engineering challenges, which is the very essence of a Principal Engineer role.

Ready to apply? This is a rare opportunity to join a new team at the ground level, working on the future of transportation in one of the world’s leading tech hubs.

You can find the official job posting and apply here via Platform Recruitment:
Principal Embedded Software Engineer in Cambridge