R&D Firmware Engineer

Firmware Engineer Mid to Senior, research and productization 4-7 years

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The job description

Tech stack. New silicon enablement and characterization, proof-of-concept firmware architecture, emerging wireless and security protocols, FPGA-based prototyping platforms, technical evaluation methodology, patent drafting, technology transfer packaging

About the role

You will explore the future in the advanced development laboratory, prototyping firmware on unproven silicon and evaluating emerging technologies that product teams cannot responsibly bet on yet. R&D firmware engineers prove what is possible: next-generation wireless standards, novel device security models, advanced power management techniques, all characterized with honest, reproducible data. You will enjoy access to pre-production hardware months before anyone else, the intellectual freedom to experiment broadly, and the responsibility to produce genuinely transferable results: working code, measured characterization data, and clear-eyed assessments of what is ready for productization. Intellectual honesty is the fundamental currency: killing weak concepts quickly with good data matters exactly as much as validating strong ones.

What you will achieve

Build working proof-of-concept firmware on pre-production silicon, characterizing genuine capabilities honestly against vendor marketing claims
Evaluate emerging technologies across wireless, sensing, security, and compute domains with measured, reproducible, peer-reviewable assessments
Deliver complete technology transfer packages: working reference code, characterization datasets, integration guides, and risk registers product teams can adopt directly
Prototype genuinely novel firmware architectures: alternative RTOS designs, innovative update schemes, new security models, or breakthrough power strategies, each with measured results
Terminate weak concepts decisively through well-designed experiments and candid write-ups, concentrating investment and engineering attention on real opportunities

What you will bring

Must-haves

4 to 7 years of firmware or embedded development with demonstrated ability to prototype rapidly on unfamiliar, undocumented hardware
Deep comfort operating with incomplete documentation, pre-production silicon revisions, and specifications that shift without warning
Exceptional low-level engineering skills: bringing up unknown silicon successfully with only a datasheet, a debugger, and determination
Ability to evaluate new technologies with complete honesty: quantitative benchmarks, clearly stated limitations, trade-off analysis, and actionable recommendations
Clear, precise technical writing for technology transfer packages, research memoranda, and executive summaries that drive real decisions
Strong self-direction: defining your own research milestones and holding yourself rigorously accountable in ambiguous, open-ended spaces
BS in Electrical or Computer Engineering; MS preferred for research depth

Nice-to-haves

Granted patents or filed applications in embedded systems, wireless communications, or device security domains
Experience collaborating with university research laboratories or corporate research divisions on joint programs
Familiarity with grant-funded or internal R&D project structures, milestone planning, and technical reporting obligations
Technical breadth into adjacent domains: TinyML on microcontrollers, energy harvesting systems, or novel sensor modalities