Sr. Firmware Engineer

About the role

The Senior Firmware Engineer will be responsible for managing and developing the complex real-time control firmware for our bipedal robot that adheres to steel structures using electropermanent magnets (EPMs). This role involves working across multiple domains including autonomy, climate work, marine systems, and novel adhesion technology.

Responsibilities

• Manage real-time control firmware, motor coordination, EPM control and sensing, power management, and the boundary between firmware and the high-level autonomy system.
• Address gaps in abort behavior, limitations in logging, challenges in stepping sequences, and timing workarounds used to address symptoms rather than root causes.
• Own development of the next iteration of the robot as we enter into pilots with customers.
• Shape the firmware architecture as the robot evolves.

Requirements

• Experience with new product development.
• Bachelor Degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of related experience.

Qualifications

• Strong instincts about real-time systems: interrupt safety, DMA behavior, timing budgets, CAN bus behavior under load.
• Backgrounds that could translate well: medical device firmware, automotive embedded systems, industrial automation, actuator hardware.
• Experience with C/C++ and Python.
• Experience with ARM Cortex microcontrollers and RTOS.
• Experience with CAN-based motor control and custom CAN-FD messaging protocol.
• Experience with Protobuf serialization.
• Experience with CMake, Docker-based dev environment, CAN bus sniffer, STM debugger, logic analyzer, and oscilloscopes.

Skills

• Ability to read unfamiliar firmware and build an accurate mental model quickly.
• Strong problem-solving skills, able to iterate on solutions under ambiguity.
• Methodical and collaborative troubleshooting.
• Willingness to take ownership of a codebase and make reasonable decisions under ambiguity.
• Experience with hardware products and understanding the difference between "works in the lab" and "works in the field."
• Systematic approach to identifying core issues and underlying objectives.
• Ability to approach new problems creatively and reapproach with new solutions when obvious paths are blocked.

Benefits

None specified.

Pay

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Flexible work schedule to accommodate the needs of the team and the project.

Benefits

Health insurance, retirement plan, and other benefits are provided based on company policy.

Skills

• Experience with new product development.
• Bachelor Degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of related experience.

Qualifications

• Strong instincts about real-time systems: interrupt safety, DMA behavior, timing budgets, CAN bus behavior under load.
• Backgrounds that could translate well: medical device firmware, automotive embedded systems, industrial automation, actuator hardware.
• Experience with C/C++ and Python.
• Experience with ARM Cortex microcontrollers and RTOS.
• Experience with CAN-based motor control and custom CAN-FD messaging protocol.
• Experience with Protobuf serialization.
• Experience with CMake, Docker-based dev environment, CAN bus sniffer, STM debugger, logic analyzer, and oscilloscopes.

Backgrounds that could translate well

• Medical device firmware.
• Automotive embedded systems.
• Industrial automation.
• Actuator hardware.

What Matters

Thinking carefully about systems where firmware failure has physical consequences.

What To Expect From a Small Team

• Firmware decisions you make ship on the robot.
• No dedicated QA org and no siloed scope - you'll work closely with mechanical, electrical, and software engineers and need enough range to make good calls at those boundaries.
• Build something real with a small team that moves fast.

Application Instructions

None specified.