Embedded / IoTSMBEnterprise

Embedded Systems Engineer

[Company Name] is seeking an Embedded Systems Engineer to design and develop firmware for our hardware products. You will write low-level code for microcontrollers, optimize for power and memory constraints, and work closely with hardware engineers to bring devices from prototype to production. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys solving problems at the intersection of hardware and software.

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Key Responsibilities

Design and develop firmware for microcontrollers and embedded processors in C and C++
Implement device drivers for peripherals including sensors, communication interfaces, and displays
Optimize firmware for power consumption, memory usage, and real-time performance constraints
Develop and maintain automated test suites for embedded software including hardware-in-the-loop testing
Collaborate with hardware engineers on PCB bring-up, schematic review, and component selection
Implement communication protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, BLE, Wi-Fi) for device connectivity
Support manufacturing teams with production firmware, factory test procedures, and OTA update mechanisms

Required Skills & Experience

3+ years of experience developing embedded firmware in C or C++
Proficiency with microcontroller families such as ARM Cortex-M, ESP32, or STM32
Experience with real-time operating systems (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or ThreadX)
Strong understanding of hardware interfaces and communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, GPIO)
Ability to read schematics and use debugging tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers)
Experience with version control (Git) and embedded build systems (CMake, Make)
Knowledge of power management techniques for battery-operated devices

Nice-to-Have

Experience with wireless communication protocols (BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, or Wi-Fi)
Familiarity with IoT cloud platforms (AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub)
Knowledge of functional safety standards (IEC 61508) or automotive standards (AUTOSAR)
Experience with PCB design review and signal integrity basics
Familiarity with Rust for embedded systems development

Tech Stack

CC++FreeRTOSZephyrARM Cortex-MESP32STM32JTAGCMake

What We Offer

Competitive salary and equity package
Flexible remote or hybrid work arrangement
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Annual learning and development budget
Generous PTO policy

Interview Process

1Recruiter phone screen (30 min) — role fit and logistics
2Technical phone screen (45 min) — embedded fundamentals, C programming, and hardware concepts
3Coding exercise — implement a driver for a given peripheral specification
4On-site or virtual loop (3 hours) — firmware debugging scenario, architecture discussion, and team fit
5Offer and reference checks

Hiring for this role? You might also need:

Interview Scorecards

Bar Raiser

Bar Raiser — Cross-Functional

Independent bar-raiser assessment ensuring the candidate raises the team's overall bar.

Culture & Values

Culture & Values Interview

Behavioral interview scorecard covering collaboration, ownership, and growth mindset.

Hiring Manager

Hiring Manager Final Round

Final evaluation by hiring manager: team fit, role alignment, and leadership potential.

Phone Screen

Recruiter Phone Screen (Universal)

General-purpose recruiter screen covering motivation, experience fit, and logistics.

Email Templates

Sourcing

Cold Outreach — Passive Developer

A personalized first-touch email to engage passive developers who aren't actively job hunting.

Interview Scheduling

Technical Interview Invitation

An email inviting a candidate to a technical interview with details on format, duration, and how to prepare.

Decision & Offer

Offer Letter Email

A congratulatory email extending a formal job offer with key terms and the attached offer letter.

Related Templates

Backend

Common Screening Mistakes

Requiring experience with your exact microcontroller family — an engineer skilled with STM32 can ramp up on ESP32 in weeks because core embedded concepts (interrupts, DMA, timers) are universal
Treating embedded development like web development — embedded engineers often have smaller GitHub profiles because their work involves proprietary hardware that cannot be open-sourced
Confusing embedded systems engineering with general software engineering — look for specific embedded keywords like interrupts, RTOS, peripherals, and power optimization rather than generic programming skills

Red Flags

Cannot explain the difference between a bare-metal program and one running on an RTOS — this is a fundamental concept that any embedded engineer should understand
No experience debugging hardware issues using tools like oscilloscopes or logic analyzers — embedded debugging often involves the physical layer, not just software
Only experience with Arduino or hobby-level platforms without understanding the underlying hardware — production embedded work requires deeper knowledge of register-level programming

What Good Looks Like

A strong embedded systems engineer can explain a project from hardware bring-up through production firmware — including the debugging challenges they faced and how they resolved them.
They talk naturally about trade-offs between power consumption — performance, and memory, and they mention testing strategies that go beyond just running code in a simulator.

Key Tech to Listen For

Interrupt handling and DMA transfers
RTOS task scheduling and priorities
Power management and sleep modes
Communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART)
Over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates
Hardware-in-the-loop testing