Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Senior Embedded Software Engineer

NextGen RF Design is seeking a Senior Embedded Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience developing embedded C software for real-time, hardware-centric systems. This role is for a hands-on technical expert who designs, implements, debugs, and maintains low-level firmware across microcontrollers, SoCs, and embedded Linux platforms.

You will play a critical role in architecting and delivering robust, production-ready embedded software, working closely with hardware, FPGA, DSP, and systems engineers. While mentorship and technical leadership are expected, this is not a people-management role, it is focused on deep technical contribution and ownership. This role requires strong hands-on experience debugging complex embedded systems running both RTOS and Embedded Linux in production environments.

Key Responsibilities

Embedded Software Development o Design, develop, and maintain embedded C/C++ firmware for microcontroller- and SoC- based systems. o Implement real-time software using RTOS environments (e.g., FreeRTOS, or similar). o Develop and maintain low-level drivers, BSPs, bootloaders, and hardware abstraction layers. o Write efficient, deterministic, and maintainable code for interrupt-driven and time-critical systems. o Embedded Linux is used where appropriate and complements MCU/RTOS-based systems.

• Kernel configuration and debugging
• Device drivers
• User-space applications and services o Lead design reviews; establish coding, documentation, and verification standards; drive technical best practices across projects.

Systems Architecture & Integration o Collaborate with hardware, FPGA, and DSP engineers to define hardware/software partitioning. o Translate system requirements into clear, testable software designs and interfaces. o Participate in design reviews, ensuring software architectures are scalable, testable, and production-ready. o Support integration of embedded software into complete RF and embedded systems.

Debugging & Bring-Up o Lead board bring-up and system-level debugging on new hardware. o Diagnose and resolve complex issues involving:

• Memory corruption, stack overflows, race conditions
• Timing issues, watchdog resets, and hard faults
• Kernel panics and low-level Linux issues o Use tools such as JTAG/SWD debuggers, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and trace tools.

o Debug across hardware, firmware, and OS boundaries.

Customer & Business Alignment o Work directly with customers to capture requirements, translate into system-level specifications, and communicate design tradeoffs. o Represent the company at customer design reviews, technical working groups, or industry events as needed.

Verification, Quality & Production Support o Develop and execute unit, integration, and system-level test strategies. o Ensure software meets performance, reliability, and maintainability requirements. o Support manufacturing test, field issues, and long-term product sustainment. o Contribute to coding standards, documentation, and software best practices. o Support requirements traceability, documentation, and formal verification activities consistent with structured product development and quality system standards.

Technical Leadership & Mentorship o Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers. o Lead by example through code quality, design rigor, and problem-solving approach. o Influence engineering best practices without formal management responsibility.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• BS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 10+ years of professional experience in embedded software development.
• Solid background in embedded Linux, including kernel-level debugging.
• Proven experience with: o Interrupts, DMA, memory-mapped I/O o Multithreading, synchronization, and real-time constraints o Device driver development
• Deep debugging skills using both software and hardware tools.
• Expert-level skills in: o C/C++ for embedded systems (bare metal and RTOS). o Git-based version control and CI/CD workflows.
• Basic understanding of RF communications protocols (e.g., LoRa, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE/5G, proprietary modulations).
• Ability to manage tasks using Atlassian JIRA or other software tracking tools.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams or mentoring junior engineers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with ability to explain technical tradeoffs to both engineers and executives.
• Experience with ISO 9001 or other regulated development environments preferred.

End-to-end ownership: define requirements, document designs, develop and verify firmware; proficient with interrupt-driven, real-time systems and device drivers.

• Evaluate and partition functions across CPU, FPGA, and peripherals, making clear cost, performance, and schedule tradeoffs.

JOB SNAPSHOT Base Pay: Competitive; commensurate with experience Employment: Full-Time, OnSite/Hybrid Job Type: Engineering, Embedded Design Education: BSCE/BSEE required. Experience: 7 years experience preferred Manages Others: No Industry: RF Engineering Services Required Travel: Not Specified