Lead Software Engineer - Firmware

Responsibilities

• Define the firmware architecture for an access control reader, including bootloader, HAL, RTOS task decomposition, communication stack, and application layers.
• Drive technology decisions for MCU selection, peripheral drivers, and communication protocols (Wiegand, OSDP, RS-485, I2C, SPI, UART, UWB, BLE, NFC/ISO 14443).
• Evaluate third-party libraries, RTOS options (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, etc.), and middleware components.
• Write production-quality firmware in C and C++, optimizing for code size, execution speed, and power consumption on ARM Cortex-M and/or RISC-V targets.
• Implement and optimize time-critical routines and interrupt service routines in assembly language where required.
• Develop and maintain BSPs, peripheral drivers (GPIO, timers, DMA, ADC, crypto accelerators), and communication protocol stacks.
• Design and implement secure boot, firmware update (OTA/wired), and cryptographic key management features compliant with relevant security standards.
• Integrate hardware security modules (HSE/SE), tamper detection circuits, and anti-cloning protections.
• Develop and execute unit tests, integration tests, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test suites using industry-standard frameworks and custom test harnesses.
• Use oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD debuggers, and protocol analyzers to root-cause and resolve hardware/firmware interaction issues.
• Perform static analysis (e.g., PC-lint, Polyspace, Coverity) and address findings to achieve high software reliability.
• Support EMC pre-compliance, environmental testing, and regulatory certification activities (UL, FCC, CE, FIPS 140-2/-3 as applicable).

Qualifications

• Expert-level proficiency in C and C++; demonstrated ability to write, review, and optimize embedded C/C++ for constrained targets.
• Hands-on assembly language programming experience (ARM Thumb/Thumb-2 preferred) for ISR optimization, startup code, and low-level hardware access.
• Solid understanding of RTOS concepts: task scheduling, inter-task communication (queues, semaphores, mutexes), memory management, and real-time determinism.
• Deep knowledge of embedded communication protocols: SPI, I2C, UART, USB, RS-485, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), UWB, and NFC / ISO 14443 / ISO 15693.
• Proven experience with ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers (e.g., STM32, NXP LPC/iMX RT, Nordic nRF52/nRF53 series).
• Familiarity with access control industry protocols including Wiegand and OSDP v2.
• Hands-on experience with wireless firmware development.
• Strong debugging skills using JTAG/SWD interfaces, GDB, and professional embedded IDEs (IAR, Keil, VS Code + CMake).
• Experience developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines for embedded firmware (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or similar).
• Working knowledge of version control (Git), code review workflows, and release branching strategies.
• Experience in the physical security, access control, mobile credentialing, or IoT device industry.
• Exposure to hardware security elements (e.g., NXP SE050, ATECC608, internal TrustZone-M) and secure key provisioning workflows.
• Knowledge of low-power design techniques and experience profiling and reducing system power consumption.
• Hands-on experience with Python or Bash for build automation, test scripting, or hardware-in-the-loop frameworks.

About the Role

The Lead Firmware Engineer will provide technical guidance to project teams, driving the adoption of coding standards, identifying and addressing risks, and providing mitigation solutions. They will be responsible for timely and successful deliveries of software projects and collaborating with business leaders to ensure alignment with the organization's objectives. Reporting directly to the Senior Software Engineering Manager, the role is based in Pittsford, NY.

Pay

The annual base salary for this position is $146,000 - $183,000. Please note that this salary information serves as a general guideline. Honeywell considers various factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education and training, key skills, as well as market and business considerations.

Benefits

Honeywell offers a comprehensive benefits package, including employer-subsidized Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance; Short-Term and Long-Term Disability; 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, EAP, and Educational Assistance; Parental Leave, Paid Time Off (for vacation, personal business, sick time, and parental leave), and 12 Paid Holidays. Learn more about our benefits (https://benefits.honeywell.com/).