Freelance Embedded Firmware Engineer Jobs in Ohio

Vitamix is unquestionably the premium brand of high-performance “blenders,” and known for its top-notch company culture and climate. It is an important component of what makes Vitamix unique and successful, and the reason why Vitamix is recognized as a Top Workplace, NorthCoast99 Winner, and Smart Culture Award recipient.

Throughout its 100+ year history, Vitamix has encouraged and promoted healthy lifestyles for both its customers and employees. Employees enjoy multiple wellness programs and perks, a free Vitamix machine, and an onsite fitness center. Vitamix also offers a flexible work environment, great work culture, healthy living initiatives like fitness reimbursements, and opportunities for advancement.

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Vitamix is seeking an Electrical Engineer, Firmware Development who will lead the design, development, and validation of embedded firmware and real-time control systems for motor-driven consumer products. Collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams, this role drives the firmware lifecycle from architecture through DVP validation, ensuring compliance with performance, safety, and regulatory standards. Additionally, this position establishes firmware quality standards, supports existing product lines, and explores next-generation embedded technologies to fuel the New Product Development (NPD) pipeline.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Serve as the organization-wide firmware expert, guiding Engineering, Production, and Quality teams on real-time embedded systems, motor control algorithms, and safety-critical software.
• Design and implement embedded MCU architecture, including RTOS task structures, real-time scheduling, low-level drivers, HAL integration, and peripheral management (GPIO, ADC, PWM, I2C/SPI).
• Develop and own advanced motor control firmware (PID/FOC, soft-start, stall detection) and safety-critical state machines compliant with functional safety standards like IEC 60730-1.
• Manage the complete firmware lifecycle—from translating system requirements into specifications to guiding firmware through formal STEP stage-gate reviews, FMEAs, and regulatory approvals (UL/IEC).
• Establish firmware coding standards, static analysis, and code review processes; drive the adoption of automated testing and CI/CD workflows to boost release velocity and product quality.
• Lead comprehensive firmware testing strategies, including unit, module, integration, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing to support DVP/PVP execution.
• Implement communication and wireless connectivity protocols (UART, SPI, BLE, Wi-Fi, OTA) alongside secure protocol stack integration for connected product lines.
• Design robust diagnostic frameworks (error coding, crash logging) and lead root-cause analysis for field failures or performance anomalies.
• Support legacy product lines via structured change control, while evaluating future MCU platform selections based on performance, cost, and portability goals.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Experience:

4-7 years related experience in embedded firmware systems development

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering required

Master’s degree in Engineering or related field is a plus

Technical Skills:

• Core Embedded & Architecture
  • Languages & Architecture: Deep expertise in embedded C for MCU-based systems; strong grasp of MCU architecture (memory, clocks, interrupts DMA)
  • RTOS & Scheduling: Proven experience designing RTOS-based real-time systems (FreeRTOS, ThreadX), task structures, and concurrency management
  • Low-Level Drivers: Proficiency writing and reviewing low-level peripheral drives (GPIO, ADC, PWM, Timers, UART, SPI, I2C) and vendor HAL integration
• Advanced Control & Functional Safety
  • Motor Control: Extensive experience with open/closed-loop control (PID/FOC), torque control, soft-start, stall detection, and thermal model tuning
  • Safety & Compliance: Experience implementing safety-critical firmware (IEC 60730-1 Annex H, watchdogs, fail-safe state machines) and leading firmware FMEAs.
  • Low-Power & EMC: Knowledge of low-power optimization (sleep modes, clock scaling) and EMC-safe firmware design (timing-safe PWM, EMI-aware state management).
• Connectivity & Hardware Integration
  • Protocols & Connectivity: Experience with communication stacks (BLE, Wi-Fi, NFC, Modbus, OTA, updates) and sensor integration (NTC thermistors, position sensors).
  • Hardware Bring-Up & Diagnostics: Hands-on board bring-up, schematic reading, basic soldering, and expert use of lab tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD).
• Tool, Quality and Lifecycle
  • Toolchains and Infrastructure: Proficient with IDEs (STM32CubeIDE, MPLAB, Keil), version control (Git), and scripting (Python, Bash).
  • Quality & CI/CD: Experience with static analysis (MISRA C, PC-lint), automated test frameworks (HIL) and CI/CD pipelines for firmware.
  • SDLC & Business Tools: Familiarity with embedded SDLC, requirements traceability, MCU platform sourcing strategy, and ERP systems (Oracle/SAP).

Other Requirements:

•  Problem Solving - Skilled at quickly diagnosing issues, identifying root causes, and developing and implementing effective solutions.
•  Communication - Ability to clearly articulate reasoning, explain decisions, and effectively convey complex ideas to different audiences.
•  Critical/Analytical Thinking - Ability to draw valid inferences from available information, understand the implications of different interpretations, and apply knowledge to new situations.
•  Relationship Building - Ability to establish, maintain, and cultivate positive relationships with individuals, teams, and external stakeholders to foster a collaborative environment
•  Attention to Detail - Consistently maintains high standards of quality and accuracy across different tasks and projects.
• Reliability/Dependability - Highly reliable, proactive self-starter; can be counted on to complete assignments on time

Physical Demands:

• Ability to sit up to 8 hours per day, with walking and standing required frequently
• Visual acuity is required to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data, viewing a computer terminal, reading documents, reports, and emails
• Repetitive hand movements for tasks like typing or assembly

Amount of Travel Required: Up to 10% travel required

# of Direct Reports: 0

Work Schedule/Shift: Monday-Friday 8:00AM-5:00PM

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Work Environment: Office

The Company has reviewed this job description to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability to perform the position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and the Company reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as the Company may deem appropriate.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.