ARM (Advanced RISC Machine), Aerospace and Defense, Booting, C Programming Language, C++ Programming Language, Communication Skills, Communications Protocols, Computer Engineering, Computer Firmware, Debugging Skills, Device Drivers, Documentation, Embedded Systems, English Language, Hal, Hardware Debugging, Hardware Development, ISO (International Organization for Standardization), International Electro-Technical Commission (IEC), Logic Analyzer, Low Power, Memory Hardware, Microcontroller, Oscilloscope, Performance Management, Presentation/Verbal Skills, Rapid Application Development (RAD), Requirements Validation/Verification, Safety Training, Scripting (Scripting Languages), Simulation, Standards Development, Team Player, Testability, Timing Verification, Training Program, USB, Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Validation Testing, Writing Skills
Washington D.C., District of Columbia
Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer (Safety-Critical Systems)
Location: San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA | Washington, DC
Training Requirement: Candidates must complete an initial 1-month onsite training program in Kearneysville, WV before transitioning to their assigned office location.
About the Role
We are seeking a Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer to develop firmware for a safety-critical embedded system integrated with advanced aerospace and defense hardware. This role offers end-to-end ownership of firmware development, from board bring-up and driver implementation through qualification, testing, and deployment.
You'll work closely with hardware engineers in a highly collaborative, hands-on environment where rapid iteration, reliability, and testability are essential.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for ARM Cortex-M or comparable microcontroller platforms
- Own firmware architecture, including device drivers, state machines, communication interfaces, command handling, and programming workflows
- Create host-testable firmware and simulation frameworks that enable validation without requiring target hardware
- Collaborate with hardware engineers on board bring-up, peripheral integration, timing analysis, and debugging
- Implement and validate communication protocols and peripheral interfaces
- Support environmental qualification activities, including thermal, EMC, and vibration testing
- Define and maintain firmware safety requirements, verification strategies, and supporting documentation
- Contribute to firmware reliability, security, maintainability, and performance improvements
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional embedded firmware development experience
- Strong experience with ARM Cortex-M or similar embedded platforms
- Advanced proficiency in C, C++, or Rust
- Experience with:
- Interrupts, DMA, clocks, timers, memory maps, linker scripts, and low-power modes
- I²C, SPI, UART, and USB communications
- Hardware debugging using oscilloscopes and logic analyzers
- State machine design for real-world embedded systems
- Board bring-up and low-level hardware integration
- Host-based testing and firmware validation methodologies
- Professional written and verbal English communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Embedded Rust experience, including Embassy, embedded-hal, RTIC, defmt, probe-rs, or no_std development
- Modern embedded C++ (C++17/C++20)
- Experience with FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or asynchronous embedded architectures
- Safety-critical firmware development experience (ISO 26262, DO-178C, IEC 61508, or similar)
- Bootloader, DFU, secure boot, or OTA update implementation
- UAV, drone, FPV, MAVLink, INAV, or related aerospace systems experience
- Experience with C FFI or SDK integration
Work Environment
- Collaborative, hardware-focused engineering culture
- Frequent interaction with real hardware and rapid development cycles
- High degree of technical ownership and responsibility
- Focus on quality, reliability, testability, and safety
Additional Requirements
- Ability to complete a mandatory 1-month onsite training period in Kearneysville, West Virginia
- Ability to work onsite from San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Washington, DC following training
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States
Embedded Firmware Engineer, Senior Firmware Engineer, Embedded Software Engineer, ARM Cortex-M, C, C++, Rust, Embedded Systems, Board Bring-Up, Device Drivers, Real-Time Systems, FreeRTOS, Zephyr, Embedded Rust, Safety-Critical Software, Aerospace, Defense Technology, UART, SPI, I2C, USB, Bootloader, Secure Boot, OTA Updates, Hardware Debugging.