Embedded Engineer

About Us

Second Order Effects started in 2016 as a services firm, tackling other companies’ hardest engineering problems from first principles. We’ve grown into a solutions firm that designs and ships complete custom electronics and systems, including power electronics, RF, and control systems. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers globally. We approach problems by breaking challenges down to their fundamental components, finding solutions that hold up across industries and engineering functions. We focus on solving the right problems and building the teams to take them on, expecting every team member to participate in empowering those around them.

In the past year, we’ve begun spinning out our own concepts into separate companies addressing frontier technology, including space, fusion and fission energy, and advanced vehicles. We currently have two spinout companies in stealth.

About the Role

As an Embedded Engineer, you will support the design, architecture, and implementation of high-performance embedded systems across diverse projects. You’ll collaborate with a team of engineers to develop solutions tailored to client needs and mission-critical challenges.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, design, and development of complex embedded firmware for a wide variety of applications
• Interact with customers to define firmware project requirements and ensure satisfaction
• Develop firmware in C/C++ for microcontrollers or digital design in Verilog HDL for FPGAs
• Write and execute test plans for validation and performance characterization
• Take ownership of design, development, testing, and end-to-end technical support for projects
• Assess design risks and develop mitigation strategies
• Create documentation for hardware, software, and systems
• Conduct design reviews for hardware/electronic systems and code reviews for software/firmware/HDL

Requirements

• Able to work 40 hours a week on-site in El Segundo, California, or Redmond, Washington
• Eligible to work on ITAR projects
• Bachelor's Degree (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, or related field) or equivalent experience
• 1+ years of applied experience (internships count!) with a demonstrated passion for engineering and technology development
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Experience with C/C++ firmware development or Verilog HDL development

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in team-based design and build projects (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, CubeSat, Rover Challenge)
• End-to-end electronics design experience: from requirements generation through schematic, layout, fabrication, and hardware bringup
• Experience with analog small-signal circuit design (filters, op-amp circuits, signal conditioning) and/or power electronics designs (regulators, load drivers, supply filters, protection circuitry)
• Knowledge of PCB fabrication and assembly, design for manufacture (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), and familiarity with IPC and/or JEDEC standards
• Expertise with Altium Designer or KiCad
• Familiarity with Python and/or MATLAB for data parsing and signal analysis
• Familiarity with LTSpice for circuit simulation
• Experience with ARM Cortex-M devices (e.g., STM32, NXP S32K, TI TMS570) and Lattice or Xilinx FPGAs
• Excellent understanding of OS fundamentals (e.g., schedulers, memory management, network stacks, file system architectures) and computer architecture or digital design fundamentals
• Experience with continuous integration and testing (CI/CD) or related high-reliability software development strategies

Pay

• Engineer I: $100,000 - $130,000
• Engineer II: $125,000 - $170,000
• Senior Engineer: $155,000 - $200,000
• Equity (via ISOs) in Second Order Effects, Inc.
• Equity (via PIUs) in our incubated companies (through Second Order Holdings, LLC)

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
• Flexible paid time off policy + 11 paid holidays + 12 paid sick days
• 401(k) retirement account with employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
• Up to 22 weeks of paid parental leave for new child bonding
• Relocation assistance available if 50+ miles away from the office
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports at our LAX office
• Daily catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen