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Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer - Laser Systems / Scientific Instrumentation
Location: Greater Baltimore, MD (4 days on-site / 1 day WFH; relocation available)
Compensation: Up to $140K base salary, with flexibility for an exceptional fit + bonus
Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 401K, company-wide success share (bonus) program, strong annual merit review structure
Contact: Andrew Millar; andrew.millar@irisscientific.com; 647-205-7151
Iris Scientific is a specialist recruitment agency focused on technical and commercial roles within the North American scientific instrumentation sector.
We're partnering with a global leader in photonics and laser instrumentation (confidential) to hire a Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer for their laser systems R&D group near Baltimore, MD.
The Opportunity
This is a firmware-first role at the heart of a growing laser systems business unit. You'll own the embedded software for a portfolio of fiber laser systems and laser instrumentation - bare-metal and RTOS firmware running on the microcontrollers that control real photonics hardware.
The software/firmware group is the newest discipline within the unit, alongside well-established mechanical, electrical, and laser engineering teams. You'll step into the senior seat, with one junior engineer reporting to you, and a clear path to lead and grow the group as the product line expands.
This is lab-bench engineering, not remote code delivery. You'll flash your own boards, probe them with a scope, and work out whether the bug lives in your firmware or in the hardware.
What You'll Be Doing

• Design and develop bare-metal and RTOS firmware for microcontroller-based laser systems
• Bring up new boards in the lab: flash, probe, debug, and validate firmware against real hardware
• Work directly with electrical and laser engineers - reading schematics, chasing signals, resolving hardware/firmware interactions
• Own firmware architecture across multiple concurrent product programs
• Mentor a junior software engineer and shape the group's engineering practices (version control, documentation, release management)
• Support products through NPI into production, including test and manufacturing support
• Contribute to GUI/application software as needed (support available - this is not the core of the role)

Why This Role Is Different

• Firmware is the job, not a side duty. The hiring manager is explicit: firmware depth is the requirement; GUI and application-layer skills are secondary and supported by others.
• A group to build. Senior seat in the newest engineering discipline of the unit, with a realistic path to engineering leadership as the team grows - at whatever pace suits you. Candidates who want to stay purely technical are equally welcome.
• Open, commercial R&D. You can publish, attend conferences, and talk about your work - a genuine contrast to much of the embedded work in the Baltimore/DC corridor.
• Variety. System-level laser products and accessories moving through the group continuously - not one program for five years.
• Mentorship-first management. One junior direct report. Prior management experience is not required, and the surrounding structure handles the formal HR side while you grow into leadership - if that's a direction you want.

What You Bring

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science (MS a plus)
• 5+ years of hands-on firmware development experience

Core Experience (What Really Matters)

• Bare-metal and RTOS firmware development in C/C++ for microcontroller-based instruments
• Genuine hardware fluency - you can look at a schematic and understand what the circuit is doing
• Lab-bench debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and multimeters - comfortable probing real boards, not just simulating
• Firmware for instruments and systems: scientific, industrial, medical, or semiconductor equipment
• Sound software engineering practice: version control, documentation, structured releases

Technical Environment

• STM32-class microcontrollers, FreeRTOS
• C/C++ (modern C++ a plus), Python for test and automation
• Git, Azure DevOps
• Lab bench: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, standard EE debug tooling
• Altium schematics (reading fluency - you won't be doing layout)
• Linux configuration and scripting

Nice to Have

• GUI development with C# and/or Qt C++ (genuinely optional - the team covers this)
• Analog/digital electronics depth beyond schematic reading
• Experience mentoring or supervising junior engineers
• Prior work on laser systems, photonics, or precision instrumentation

The Right Background
The strongest candidates are firmware engineers who grew up close to the hardware - often with an EE or CE foundation. You've owned the firmware for real instruments, debugged at the bench with a scope in hand, and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the electrical engineers who designed the boards. Pure application-software developers who've dabbled in embedded are unlikely to be the fit; hardware-fluent firmware specialists are exactly it.
Other Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the US without current or future employer sponsorship
• On-site in Baltimore area facility, 4 days/week (1 day WFH, with informal flexibility)
• Local candidates preferred; relocation support available for the right person

Process Note
Full company details will be shared prior to formal submission. First interview is a focused technical conversation with the firmware team - your skills get assessed early, and the process moves quickly from there.