Contract Embedded Software Engineer Jobs in California

Embedded Software Engineer
Department: Research & Development
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: US-California-San Jose
Description
About this opportunity
As an Embedded Software Engineer, you will play a key role in defining and developing next-generation products and technologies. You will lead firmware architecture and development efforts from early concept exploration through prototype validation and high-volume manufacturing. This position offers the opportunity to solve complex technical challenges, influence product direction, and work across disciplines to bring innovative products to market. You will join a highly collaborative team of hardware, firmware, systems, and product engineers dedicated to engineering excellence, innovation, and delivering exceptional user experiences. The ideal candidate combines deep embedded systems expertise with strong technical leadership, a system-thinking mindset, and a passion for building reliable, scalable, and high-performance products.
Role expectations
In this role, you will...
• Lead the architecture, design, development, and debugging of embedded firmware for new products and major product enhancements.
• Drive firmware technical direction and make critical design decisions involving performance, power consumption, reliability, security, and manufacturability.
• Develop and optimize device drivers, middleware, and platform software for microcontrollers, processors, peripherals, and sensors.
• Design and implement real-time, low-power, and wireless solutions for resource-constrained embedded systems.
• Lead hardware-software integration, system bring-up, debugging, and performance optimization throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Define firmware verification and validation strategies, including test plans, automation frameworks, and reliability testing.
• Collaborate closely with hardware, systems, product management, manufacturing, and quality teams to drive cross-functional solutions and resolve complex technical challenges.
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews, design reviews, debugging, and technical guidance.
• Support manufacturing ramp activities, investigate field issues, and drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies, architectures, tools, and development methodologies to improve product capabilities and development efficiency.
• Author and maintain design specifications, architecture documents, technical reports, and development best practices.
What we're looking for
In this role, you'll need ...
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of embedded software development experience with consumer electronics, wearable devices, medical devices, IoT products, or other high-volume embedded systems.
• Demonstrated ownership of firmware development throughout the full product lifecycle, from architecture and prototyping through production deployment and sustaining engineering.
• Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ for embedded applications.
• Strong understanding of microcontroller and microprocessor architectures, embedded operating systems, memory management, interrupt handling, and real-time systems.
• Extensive experience developing device drivers and interfacing with sensors, peripherals, and communication interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, USB, and CAN.
• Experience with wireless technologies including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Bluetooth Classic, Wi-Fi, and related protocols.
• Strong understanding of power optimization techniques, system performance analysis, and resource-constrained embedded design.
• Experience with embedded security principles, secure boot, authentication, encryption, and cybersecurity best practices.
• Proven ability to diagnose and resolve complex hardware-software integration issues using lab equipment and debugging tools.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and technical leadership skills, with the ability to influence decisions across engineering disciplines.
• Experience in medical device industry is a plus.
Sound like a good fit?
Great! Click the "Apply" link to let us know you are interested. Not the right fit? Please consider joining our Talent Network to receive notifications about future jobs or sharing this opportunity with others in your network.
About Align
Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for thousands of doctor customers and are key to accessing Align's 600 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Over the past 26 years, Align has helped doctors treat millions of patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align Digital Platform™, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.
By joining Align, you will be part of a global, technology company in one of the most dynamic industries. Great people, innovative technologies, and meaningful work - these are just some of the things employees say make Align Technology a great place to work.
We respect your privacy. Please review our Applicant Privacy Policiesfor additional information.
Global Diversity Statement:
At Align, we believe in the power of a smile, and we know that every smile is as unique as our employees. As we grow, we will continue building a workforce of diverse cultural backgrounds and life experiences and fostering a culture of open-mindedness and compassion for all our employees. We live our company values by promoting healthy people and healthy communities. All with the intent of changing millions of lives, one unique smile at a time.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunity in all our employment practices without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, protected veteran status, age, individuals with disabilities, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression or any other legally protected category. Applicants for positions with Align must be legally authorized to work in the country which they are applying for, and verification of employment eligibility will be required as a condition of hire.
Pay Transparency
If provided, base salary or wage rate ranges are the range in which Align reasonably expects to set a candidate's pay for the posted position. Actual placement depends on the individual skills and experience level of a candidate plus the total compensation and equity across team members. For other locations outside of the primary location, the base salary range will be adjusted geographically.
For Field Sales roles, the salary listed is the base pay only and does not include the applicable incentive compensation plan. A cost of living adjustment may be added to base pay for higher cost areas in the U.S.
Our internship hourly rates are a standard pay determined based on the position and your location, year in school, degree, and experience.
General Description of All Benefits
We are pleased to provide a general description of the benefits Align offers to full-time employees in this position.
Family Benefits. Align offers employees and their eligible dependents medical (with a Health Savings Account option for some plan offerings), dental, and vision in accordance with those plans. Align also offers to employees:

• Discounts on Invisalign and Vivera to employees and their eligible dependents after 90 days of employment
• Back-up Child/Elder Care and access to a caregiving concierge
• Family Forming Benefits - Available to Employees, and their spouse or domestic partner, covered under one of Align's health plans
• Breast Milk Delivery and Lactation Support Services
• Employee Assistance Program
• Hinge Health Virtual Physical Therapy - Available to all employees and eligible dependents (age 18+) enrolled in an Align medical Plan

Employee benefits. Align offers its employees:

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance in accordance with those plans.
• Basic Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment. Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse/Domestic Partner, and Child(ren) are available for purchase in accordance with those plans.
• Flexible Spending Accounts- Employees may be eligible to participate in a health care account (including a limited health FSA if enrolled in a HDHP), dependent care account, and a pre-tax commuter benefit plan.
• 401k plan (with a discretionary Company match of 50% up to 6% of eligible earnings up to a maximum match of 3%.). Employer match vests after two years - 25% year one and 100% at year two. Align offers traditional, Roth, and after-tax options.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (Employees must work 20 hours or more and be employed on purchase date to be eligible).
• Paid vacation of up to 17 days during the first full year of employment (currently accrued at the rate of 5.24 hours each pay-period), which carries over to a maximum cap of 30 days. Annual paid vacation time accrual increases based on tenure. Both exempt and non-exempt employees who work 32 hours or more per week receive prorated vacation accrual based on their regularly scheduled work hours and tenure.
• Sick time is accrued throughout the year at the rate of one hour for every thirty worked. Employees can carry over unused sick leave each year, up to a maximum balance of 80 hours.
• 11 Company-designated paid holidays throughout the year.
• If employed for at least 12 consecutive months, Align will grant up to 6 weeks of paid Parental Leave. If employed for less than 12 consecutive months, Align will grant up to 4 weeks of paid Parental Leave. All parental leave must be completed within one year of the birth or placement of the child. Parental leave is in addition to any state and/or local parental leave benefits. Three days of paid bereavement leave. In some cases, due to travel the amount of paid leave may be extended to 5 paid days off. To the extent applicable state or local law offers more generous benefits, Align complies with any such law.
• Non-exempt employees will receive full pay for up to 10 days of jury duty. Exempt employees will receive their full salary during any week they serve and perform any work. Other insurance such as legal, critical illness, voluntary accident, long-term care, auto, home and pet insurance are available for purchase.

To the extent applicable state or local law offers more generous benefits, Align complies with any such law.