Senior Firmware Engineer

We are an early-stage, deep tech startup based in San Francisco, developing innovative hardware that rethinks human-computer interaction. Backed by General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, and Greylock Partners, our founding team comes from Stanford, BrainGate, Oculus, and Tesla. We are tackling cutting-edge engineering challenges to bring revolutionary products to life.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Senior Firmware Engineer to help architect, develop, and ship next-generation neurotech and audio hardware products. As a key member of our growing firmware team, you will own major portions of the embedded software stack from early architecture through production and play a critical role in bringing complex consumer electronics to life. You’ll work closely with electrical, mechanical, software, ML, and product teams to transition systems from prototype to robust, production-ready products while helping establish strong firmware engineering practices across the company.

Responsibilities

• Embedded Firmware Architecture & Product Development
  • Contribute to firmware architecture and embedded software development for battery-powered wearable consumer devices from concept through production.
  • Own critical portions of the firmware stack including realtime data acquisition, connectivity, power management, bootloaders, and production infrastructure.
  • Develop robust embedded systems using C/C++ and RTOS-based architectures including FreeRTOS or similar environments.
  • Design and implement reliable firmware abstractions across sensors, audio systems, wireless subsystems, and power domains.
  • Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, ML, mobile, and cloud teams to optimize system performance, latency, power consumption, and reliability.
  • Operate effectively in a startup environment where engineers own large portions of the hardware and firmware stack.
• Realtime Embedded Systems & Sensor Processing
  • Design and optimize low-latency realtime firmware pipelines for sensor acquisition, timestamping, synchronization, and data movement.
  • Develop DMA-driven acquisition systems for high-throughput sensor and audio streams.
  • Implement deterministic scheduling and time alignment across multiple sensors and wireless subsystems.
  • Optimize firmware for low-power operation, including sleep states, subsystem power gating, and dynamic power management.
  • Debug complex concurrency, timing, and memory-related issues in deeply embedded systems.
• Wireless Connectivity & Audio Systems
  • Develop and integrate Bluetooth LE and Classic Bluetooth audio functionality on Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms or similar wireless SoCs.
  • Work on wireless coexistence challenges involving Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and proprietary RF systems.
  • Implement and optimize OTA firmware update systems, bootloaders, and device recovery mechanisms.
  • Develop and optimize embedded audio pipelines including low-latency streaming, microphone processing, and synchronization.
  • Collaborate with ML and algorithm teams on audio features including ANC, beamforming, filtering, and related realtime audio systems.
• Bring-Up, Debug & Validation
  • Lead firmware bring-up and debugging across embedded compute, sensors, wireless, and audio systems.
  • Use advanced debugging tools including JTAG/SWD debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and lab instrumentation.
  • Develop automated validation, manufacturing, and regression test infrastructure.
  • Perform root-cause analysis and resolve complex issues discovered during development, validation, manufacturing, or field deployment.
• Production Firmware & Reliability
  • Support EVT, DVT, and PVT builds and help ramp products to mass production.
  • Design firmware with strong reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability principles.
  • Develop factory programming, calibration, provisioning, and manufacturing test systems.
  • Develop and maintain automated test infrastructure including Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) systems, regression testing frameworks, and CI pipelines for embedded firmware validation.
  • Improve firmware robustness through telemetry, logging, automated validation systems, CI infrastructure, and field diagnostics.
  • Help define engineering standards, development workflows, and firmware best practices across the organization.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in embedded firmware or software engineering.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems.
• Strong experience with RTOS-based systems including FreeRTOS or similar platforms.
• Experience shipping at least one consumer electronics product, preferably wearable or audio-related devices.
• Experience developing firmware for battery-powered embedded systems with strong emphasis on power optimization.
• Experience with bootloaders, OTA update systems, and production firmware reliability.
• Experience with realtime embedded systems involving DMA, interrupts, concurrency, and low-latency data pipelines.
• Experience with Bluetooth LE and Classic Bluetooth audio systems.
• Strong hands-on debugging and bring-up experience across embedded hardware and firmware systems.
• Experience working closely with cross-functional hardware and software teams in fast-paced product development environments.
• Familiarity with Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms or similar wireless/audio SoCs.

Strong candidates may have deep expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Realtime sensor acquisition and synchronization
• Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity systems
• Embedded audio and ANC systems
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S-series platforms
• STM32-based embedded systems
• Embedded audio interfaces such as I2S, PDM, TDM, or related protocols
• Wireless coexistence optimization across Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and proprietary RF systems
• Building ANC, beamforming, or low-latency audio systems
• Embedded Linux systems
• Manufacturing firmware, calibration systems, or automated test infrastructure
• CI systems, automated testing, and firmware deployment pipelines
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing systems
• Python for tooling, automation, or instrumentation control
• Secure boot, firmware signing, and device security
• Low-power embedded architecture and system-level power optimization
• Lab instrumentation including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, RF tools, and protocol analyzers

Pay

$150,000 - $200,000/year

Benefits

• Competitive equity package
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unlimited PTO
• Visa sponsorship
• 4% 401k matching