Lead Embedded Systems Software Engineer

Team: Engineering & Operations

Location: Saratoga, CA

Commitment: Full-Time

Workplace Type: onsite

Salary:

What you will do:

Architecture and Technical Leadership 

• Translate product requirements into clear system-level software architecture. 

• Define software interfaces, data flows, and module boundaries across the stack. 

• Make and own key technical decisions. Document them clearly for the team. 

• Identify risks early and drive solutions before they become blockers. 

• Own firmware delivery from product requirements through production release, ensuring quality, schedule, and cross-functional alignment. 

Hands-on Development 

• Write, review, and maintain production firmware in C/C++ (and Rust where applicable). 

• Develop drivers, middleware, and application logic for sensor-rich embedded platforms. 

• Work with Zephyr RTOS across multiple MCU families (STM32, Nordic nRF, ESP32). 

• Debug firmware using JTAG, SWD, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes. 

• Integrate and validate sensors including IMUs, accelerometers, and gyroscopes. 

• Implement and optimize networking stacks - BLE, Thread, and Wi-Fi. 

• Design and maintain backend communication protocols for edge-to-cloud data transfer. 

Test and Quality 

• Write automated unit and integration tests before or alongside feature code. 

• Build and maintain HIL (hardware-in-the-loop) & SIL (software-in-the-loop) frameworks. 

• Set team standards for test coverage, static analysis, and CI/CD pipelines. 

• Perform code reviews with a focus on correctness, safety, and long-term maintainability. 

Team Leadership 

• Lead a small team of embedded engineers. Set clear goals. Mitigate day-to-day risks. 

• Mentor engineers through design reviews, pair programming, and direct feedback. 

• Collaborate with hardware, systems, and product teams to align on requirements. 

• Contribute to hiring - interview candidates and help define the team's technical bar. 

What we are looking for:

Required 

• 5+ years of embedded software development experience in production systems. 

• Strong C/C++ skills in resource-constrained environments (bare-metal and RTOS). 

• Hands-on experience with Zephyr RTOS, including West build system and CMake. 

• Deep knowledge of at least one MCU family: STM32, Nordic nRF, or ESP32. 

• Experience integrating and characterizing inertial sensors (IMU, accelerometer, etc.). 

• Solid understanding of wireless protocols - BLE, Thread, & WiFi - including their stacks. 

• Experience designing and implementing backend communications (MQTT, CoAP, HTTP/REST, or similar). 

• Strong skills in writing automated tests for embedded code: unit tests, mocking, HIL/SIL. 

• Proficiency with hardware debug tooling: JTAG, SWD, logic analyzers, and o-scopes. 

• Solid Git workflows: branching strategy, code review process, and CI/CD integration. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead a technical team while remaining a hands-on contributor. 

• Clear communicator. Able to explain complex technical decisions to stakeholders. 

Nice to Have 

• Experience with Rust in embedded contexts. 

• Familiarity with TinyML or edge ML frameworks (TFLite Micro, Edge Impulse, ONNX Runtime). 

• Background in aerospace, satellite, or other safety-critical systems. 

• Experience with model optimization techniques such as quantization and pruning. 

• Contributions to open-source embedded or RTOS projects.