If you want aerospace or embedded software work in France in English, Toulouse is the place to start. On France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 there were 70 English-speaking tech jobs in Toulouse, and 39 of them were at Airbus. Space startups Loft Orbital and Exotrail, and chipmaker NXP, made up most of the rest. The second hub is Sophia Antipolis, a technology park between Nice and Cannes, where Amadeus is the largest private employer and chip, telecom and security companies hire engineers. Across France the board listed 61 embedded jobs at 18 companies.
This guide shows who is hiring in both places, what kinds of roles they advertise, which skills come up, and what you need to know about visas and language. Job numbers are a snapshot from our own pages on 16 October 2026; follow the links for the live count.
Toulouse: France’s aerospace hub
Toulouse is at the centre of Aerospace Valley, the government-labelled competitiveness cluster for aeronautics, space and drones in the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions. It has more than 850 members, including 25 large companies and 730 SMEs, mid-sized firms and startups, and describes itself as Europe’s leading aerospace cluster (entreprises.gouv.fr). Its themes include embedded systems and communications, defence and the digital transition, which is where software engineers come in.
Who was hiring in Toulouse on 16 October 2026
| Company | English-speaking jobs in Toulouse | Examples of roles |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus | 39 | Avionics system designer, flight control system designer, DevSecOps engineer (AOCS/GNC), robotics supervision software engineer, Airbus CERT security engineer, SAP and ERP architects |
| Loft Orbital | 12 | Onboard software engineers, backend engineer for mission operations, SRE, cloud infrastructure, ML runtime engineer |
| NXP | 10 | Analog and digital IC design, functional safety, AI engineer for analog design |
| Exotrail | 5 | Embedded software engineer, ground software engineer, avionics architects |
| Speechify, Swile | 1 each | Android team lead, staff security engineer |
Source: jobs in Toulouse on France Dev Jobs. A few more jobs were listed in nearby towns: Blagnac, next to the airport, had 4 jobs at drone maker Alta Ares (avionics, flight test, structures).
Only 1 of the 70 Toulouse jobs was fully remote, and 12 said you could apply from anywhere. Most are on-site or hybrid, which is normal for hardware and lab work.
Airbus jobs in Toulouse
Airbus had 51 English-speaking jobs across France on the board, the most of any aerospace company; see the Airbus company page. The Toulouse roles fall into a few groups:
- Avionics and systems: avionics system designers, flight control and ice detection system designers, aircraft control system architects, datalink and integration test engineers.
- Software and IT: DevSecOps for satellite guidance systems, robotics software, simulation and test platforms, cyber security, SAP/ERP and virtual desktop architects, product management for Airbus’s Skywise data platform.
- Certification and quality: repair and design certification, system safety, flammability substantiation, engineering quality.
- Procurement: buyers for avionics, cockpit and communication systems.
How to apply. Airbus publishes its jobs on a Workday job board linked from airbus.com/careers. Its process, as described on that page, is: apply online with a CV and cover letter, screening, an interview usually with your future manager, then an offer. Some Airbus jobs are written in French or ask for French; on our board we list only those that don’t. Our guide to French CVs, cover letters and interviews covers the cover letter that Airbus asks for.
Space startups
Two space companies with English-speaking teams were hiring in Toulouse:
- Loft Orbital runs a fleet of low-Earth-orbit satellites that carry customers’ payloads and applications (Loft Orbital) and was hiring onboard software engineers, backend and full-stack engineers, SRE and cloud infrastructure engineers. One of its ads offered relocation support.
- Exotrail provides electric propulsion and in-orbit services that move and deorbit satellites (Exotrail) and was hiring embedded, ground software and avionics engineers, with hybrid work.
Chips and electronics
NXP had 10 Toulouse jobs, mostly analog and digital chip design, test and functional safety. These need electronics or microelectronics backgrounds rather than general software experience.
Embedded software jobs in France
The board’s embedded jobs page listed 61 jobs at 18 companies on 16 October 2026. They aren’t all in Toulouse:
| Company | Embedded jobs | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Harmattan AI | 21 | Paris (drones and defence electronics: embedded software, FPGA, RF, GNC) |
| Airbus | 10 | Toulouse |
| Exotrail | 4 | Toulouse and Massy |
| Alta Ares | 4 | Paris and Blagnac |
| Arago | 3 | Paris (IC and ASIC design) |
| Analog Devices | 3 | Sophia Antipolis and on-site |
| Others | 1 to 2 each | Mistral AI, NXP, SiPearl (Grenoble), The Exploration Company (Bordeaux), Valeo, PQShield, CryptoNext and more |
The embedded jobs in Toulouse page had 15 jobs at 3 companies. The technical words that recur in these ads are C and C++, embedded Linux, real-time systems, FPGA, avionics, GNC (guidance, navigation and control), RF and functional safety. Our stack pages for C, C++ and Rust list matching jobs across all roles.
Defence and security clearance
Several embedded employers on the board work on defence products, for example electronic warfare and interceptor drones. Defence and some space roles can require a French security clearance or restrict who can be hired. If an ad mentions defence programmes, ask early in the process whether your nationality or residence history matters for the role.
Sophia Antipolis jobs
Sophia Antipolis is a technology park in the hills between Nice, Antibes and Cannes. According to INSEE, the national statistics office, about 35,000 people worked in its private sector in 2019, 34% of them in information and communication, and 52% of employees were managers or professionals. Amadeus, the travel technology company, was the largest private employer with about 4,400 staff, followed by Thales DMS France; the CNRS and Inria were the largest public employers (INSEE, 2023).
Who was hiring in Sophia Antipolis and Nice
On France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026, Sophia Antipolis had 16 English-speaking jobs at 4 companies, and Nice had 12, all at Amadeus:
| Company | Jobs | Examples of roles |
|---|---|---|
| Amadeus | 12 (listed in Nice) | Software architect, functional architect, Java developer and Scrum master, AI assistant architect, internships in software, data, DevOps and security |
| Fortinet | 8 | Full-stack developer, network security QA engineer, consulting systems engineers, technical support |
| NXP | 5 | Automotive E/E system and software architect, NFC systems architect, design verification |
| Analog Devices | 2 | FPGA mixed-signal engineer, analog design |
| Renesas Electronics | 1 | Layout design engineer |
So “Sophia Antipolis tech jobs” in English mean mostly travel tech software at Amadeus, network security at Fortinet, and semiconductors. If you are a backend or Java developer, Amadeus is the largest single employer; if you have chip or automotive electronics experience, NXP and Analog Devices are the names to watch.
Do you need French?
France Dev Jobs leaves out jobs that need business-level or fluent French. On the Toulouse page, 69 of the 70 jobs asked for no French at all and one asked for basic French at most. That doesn’t mean French is useless: large industrial employers have many French-language teams and documents, and daily life in Toulouse and Nice needs more French than in Paris. Our guide to tech jobs in France without French explains how to read the language line in an ad.
Visas for aerospace and embedded engineers
Most non-EU engineers come on a Talent passport. The main routes for employees and their 2026 salary thresholds are (Service-Public):
| Route | Main conditions | Minimum gross annual salary |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified employee | Master’s degree or equivalent, contract over 3 months | €39,582 |
| Employee of an innovative company | Hired by a company recognised as innovative, R&D role | €39,582 |
| EU Blue Card | Bachelor’s degree (Bac+3) or 5 years’ relevant experience, contract of at least 6 months | €59,373 |
Our French Tech Visa and Talent permit guide covers the process, and companies that sponsor visas lists companies on the board known to sponsor visas. Note that on 16 October 2026 none of the Toulouse ads explicitly mentioned visa sponsorship, so ask the recruiter directly.
Living there
Rents in Toulouse are about half of Paris levels: the city’s average private rent was €12.5 per m² on 1 January 2025. See our cost of living in Lyon and Toulouse guide for rent by flat size and the area around Blagnac and Colomiers. For pay levels outside Paris, see the software engineer salaries guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Airbus hire English speakers in Toulouse?
Yes. On 16 October 2026 France Dev Jobs listed 39 Airbus jobs in Toulouse that don’t ask for French, including avionics, software, security and certification roles. Airbus also has many roles that require French, so check each ad.
How do I apply for Airbus jobs in Toulouse?
Through the Airbus job board linked from airbus.com/careers. You apply online with a CV and cover letter; the process continues with screening, an interview usually with the future manager, and then an offer.
Which aerospace companies are in Toulouse?
Besides Airbus, the English-speaking employers on our board in Toulouse were space startups Loft Orbital and Exotrail, chipmaker NXP and, in Blagnac, drone maker Alta Ares. The Aerospace Valley cluster has more than 850 members across Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Where are embedded software jobs in France?
On France Dev Jobs, mostly in Paris (drones, defence electronics and chip design startups) and Toulouse (aerospace and space), with others in Sophia Antipolis, Grenoble and Bordeaux. There were 61 embedded jobs in total on 16 October 2026.
What companies are in Sophia Antipolis?
INSEE names Amadeus as the largest private employer, followed by Thales DMS France, with the CNRS and Inria as the largest public employers. On our board, Amadeus, Fortinet, NXP, Analog Devices and Renesas were hiring in English.
Can I work in Sophia Antipolis without French?
Yes, for some roles. All 16 Sophia Antipolis jobs and 12 Nice jobs on our board were open to English speakers on 16 October 2026. Day-to-day life on the Côte d’Azur is easier with some French.
Job counts are a snapshot from France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 and change daily. Visa thresholds change each year; check Service-Public before you apply. This guide is general information, not immigration advice.