Freelance Embedded Firmware Engineer Jobs in Ontario

Location: Ottawa, ON (on-site)
Employment type: Full-time
Salary range: $95,000 - $130,000 CAD per year

About Q-Block Computing: Q-Block Computing builds quantum systems that operate in the real world. The company develops quantum timing, quantum-secure communications, and quantum computing platforms engineered for the performance, reliability, and environmental resilience that mission-critical applications demand - systems designed to be deployed, maintained, and trusted by operators who cannot afford ambiguity about whether the technology works.

The long-term vision is deeper than any single platform. Q-Block is pursuing a mission to decode Nature's foundational model - to build instruments of sufficient precision and coherence that they become tools for understanding the physical universe at its most fundamental level. Every system engineered to sustain quantum coherence under real-world conditions is also an advance in what becomes scientifically possible next. Commercialization and science reinforce each other by design.

About this role: The Embedded Firmware Engineer will develop the real-time control firmware that sits at the heart of Q-Block's quantum hardware platforms - the code that turns precision electronics into coordinated, deterministic, trustworthy instruments. The work spans peripheral drivers, DMA and interrupt architectures, digital control loops, and multi-unit synchronization, all on ARM Cortex-M-based platforms designed to be built, qualified, and deployed.

The successful candidate is an embedded engineer who is genuinely comfortable at the hardware-firmware boundary, reads datasheets and schematics as a matter of course, and finds satisfaction in firmware that is correct on the bench and correct in the field. The role reports into the Senior Embedded Systems Architect and the Technical Lead, and offers substantial room to grow within a small, high-caliber engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Design, write, test, and maintain embedded firmware modules in C/C++ for ARM Cortex-M microcontroller platforms used across Q-Block's quantum hardware.
• Implement and validate peripheral device drivers for precision analog and digital ICs over SPI, I2C, UART, and related interfaces.
• Develop DMA transfer configurations, GPIO management routines, and interrupt service routines to achieve deterministic, low-latency I/O timing.
• Implement digital control loop modules and other real-time signal handling functions based on system-level requirements.
• Integrate and test firmware across multiple interconnected control units operating as a synchronized system.
• Contribute to clock distribution, timing synchronization, and coherent multi-unit operation from the firmware side of the stack.
• Perform bench-level hardware bring-up, debugging, and characterization using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and signal generators.
• Write clear technical documentation for new and updated firmware modules, including test procedures, integration guides, and interface specifications.
• Participate in design reviews; contribute constructively to code review, architectural discussion, and the engineering standards of the team.
• Collaborate across hardware, firmware, systems, and scientific teams to translate system-level requirements into firmware deliverables that work.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, rigorous engineering practice, and honest technical discussion.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, Physics, or a closely related field.
• 3+ years of professional experience in embedded firmware development on ARM Cortex-M or comparable microcontroller architectures.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for bare-metal and/or RTOS-based embedded systems.
• Solid understanding of SPI, I2C, UART, and DMA controllers on ARM microcontrollers, including the trade-offs that determine real-time behavior.
• Ability to read schematics and component datasheets; comfortable working at the hardware-firmware boundary.
• Hands-on proficiency with standard laboratory instruments such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and signal generators.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience designing deterministic, low-latency control paths in mixed-signal or precision measurement systems.
• Exposure to digital signal processing, real-time scheduling, or precision timing and synchronization systems.
• Experience with hardware abstraction layers, reusable driver frameworks, or board support packages across multiple MCU or IC families.
• Familiarity with ADC/DAC integration, analog front-end control, or timing-sensitive data acquisition pipelines.
• Experience with Arduino, Teensy, PlatformIO, or comparable rapid-prototyping development environments.
• Experience in scientific, defense, or deep-tech hardware environments.
• Familiarity with version control, continuous integration, and structured firmware release practices.

Security and compliance requirements

• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain Government of Canada security clearance, if required for assigned projects.
• Must be eligible to comply with requirements of the Controlled Goods Program, if required for assigned projects.
• Must be willing to participate in background screening, documentation, and compliance processes associated with security-sensitive work.
• Experience working in regulated, security-sensitive, or defense-oriented engineering environments is an asset.

Skills and attributes

• Strong attention to detail, authenticity, and a sense of responsibility in all tasks.
• Critical thinking and a problem-solving mindset grounded in measurement and evidence.
• Clear written and verbal communication; ability to produce firmware documentation that holds up under rigorous review.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic, multidisciplinary team.

Benefits

• Extended health care (including dental and vision)
• Life insurance

Equal Opportunity

Q-Block Computing is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity. Accommodations are available on request during the application and recruiting process.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are strongly encouraged to apply. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply.