Software Architect | Advanced Embedded Systems
Location: Delft, Netherlands
Working model: Hybrid
Salary: €100,000–€110,000
Employment: Permanent
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Software Architect to join a highly technical engineering organisation developing complex hardware and software systems for advanced scientific and industrial applications.
This is a senior architectural role for someone who genuinely understands software beyond the application layer. You will work across embedded software, firmware, FPGA-based systems, compilers and high-level software APIs , helping define how these components work together as the platform scales.
You will provide the technical vision for a system that needs to deliver high performance, precise timing and reliability, while remaining maintainable and scalable as the technology evolves.
This is not an architecture role where you simply produce diagrams and hand them over to engineering teams. You will remain technically involved, stepping into complex problems, building prototypes where needed and helping engineers make sound architectural decisions.
What You'll Be Doing
Architecture & Technical Vision
Define the overall architecture across firmware, embedded software, compilers and high-level APIs.
Design systems that can scale significantly without requiring fundamental architectural rewrites.
Establish clear interfaces, abstractions, standards and architectural patterns across engineering teams.
Balance long-term technical direction with practical delivery requirements.
Work closely with product and engineering teams to translate requirements into robust technical solutions.
Build consensus around architectural decisions and communicate complex trade-offs clearly.
Technical Problem Solving
Get involved in technically challenging problems when teams need support.
Investigate issues across multiple layers of the technology stack, from high-level software through to firmware and hardware.
Help address challenges involving latency, throughput, timing, determinism and system performance .
Develop prototypes, proof-of-concepts or production code where this helps validate an architectural approach.
Review technical designs and help engineers arrive at practical, scalable solutions.
Identify opportunities to simplify systems and remove unnecessary technical complexity.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Connect software, embedded, firmware, hardware and product engineering teams around a common technical direction.
Mentor and influence engineers through technical expertise rather than hierarchy.
Work with customer-facing teams to understand real-world requirements and feed these into architectural decisions.
Create an environment where engineers can challenge ideas, collaborate effectively and make better technical decisions.
What We're Looking For
10+ years of software engineering experience , with significant experience in architectural or technical leadership.
Strong experience across multiple layers, ideally including high-level software, embedded systems and low-level hardware interaction .
Deep understanding of embedded systems, hardware interfaces and resource-constrained environments.
Strong understanding of FPGA-based systems , including timing constraints and the interaction between hardware and firmware.
Experience designing systems where performance, latency, throughput and deterministic behaviour are important.
Proven ability to design architectures spanning low-level systems through to high-level APIs.
Strong programming skills and a willingness to remain hands-on when required.
Experience influencing technical direction without relying on formal authority.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly.
Desirable Experience
Experience in one or more of the following would be advantageous:
Compiler design, intermediate representations, ASTs or transpilers.
Digital signal processing or real-time control systems.
Distributed systems…