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Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer Jobs in California

Embedded Firmware Engineer

Pasadena, CA · On-site

$112K - $153K/yr

... summer. Team: Tile Development Team Hiring Authority: VP of Engineering Role / Title: Senior ... In Person We are seeking a Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer to develop and integrate flight ...

Embedded Firmware Engineer II

Milpitas, CA · On-site

$120K - $164K/yr

Embedded Firmware Engineer II Duties and Responsibilities * Develop and maintain firmware on STM32 / TI / Renesas MCU platforms * Implement and debug low-level drivers (ADC, GPIO, PWM, SPI, I2C, UART ...

Embedded Firmware Engineer II

Milpitas, CA

$120K - $164K/yr

Embedded Firmware Engineer II Duties and Responsibilities * Develop and maintain firmware on STM32 / TI / Renesas MCU platforms * Implement and debug low-level drivers (ADC, GPIO, PWM, SPI, I2C, UART ...

... engineers. * Debug hardware-and-firmware issues at the bench with scopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers. * Build simple Python or shell tooling for testing and automation. * Grow into embedded Linux ...

New

Embedded Firmware Engineer

San Jose, CA

$120K - $164K/yr

We are seeking a full-time Embedded Firmware Engineer to join our software team and work on development of our mobile robotics fleet and proprietary farm control system. We are seeking a self-driven ...

Sr. Engineer, Embedded Firmware Location: San Jose, CA (on-site 3-4 days per week) Ayar Labs is shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co-packaged optics ...

Sr. Engineer, Embedded Firmware Location: San Jose, CA (on-site 3-4 days per week) Ayar Labs is shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co-packaged optics ...

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Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer information

What does a Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer do?

A Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer is typically an intern or temporary employee who helps design, develop, and test software that runs on hardware devices, often for electronics or IoT products. Their work involves writing code in languages like C or C++, debugging firmware, and collaborating with hardware engineers to ensure the software integrates seamlessly with the device. These engineers often participate in the full development cycle, from concept to prototype testing, and may help document their work for future development. The role is ideal for students or early-career engineers seeking hands-on experience in embedded systems and firmware development.

Is embedded firmware engineering a good career?

Embedded firmware engineering is a stable and growing field, as it involves developing software for hardware devices such as IoT gadgets, medical equipment, and automotive systems. It requires skills in programming languages like C and C++, knowledge of hardware interfaces, and often involves working in environments with real-time constraints, making it a valuable career for those interested in both software and hardware integration.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Highly experienced engineers in specialized fields such as software engineering, data science, or embedded systems can earn $500,000 or more annually, often through senior roles, bonuses, or stock options. Achieving this level typically requires advanced skills, extensive experience, and working in high-paying industries or companies.

What is the difference between Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer vs Summer Software Engineer?

AspectSummer Embedded Firmware EngineerSummer Software Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields; knowledge of embedded systemsBachelor's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related fields; programming skills
Work EnvironmentEmbedded systems development, hardware interaction, real-time constraintsApplication/software development, user interface, backend or frontend work
Industry UsageConsumer electronics, automotive, IoT devices, medical devicesWeb, mobile, enterprise applications across various industries

The Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer focuses on developing software that runs directly on hardware devices, often requiring knowledge of hardware interfaces and real-time systems. In contrast, the Summer Software Engineer typically works on higher-level application software. Both roles require programming skills, but embedded firmware roles emphasize hardware interaction and low-level programming, making them distinct in scope and environment.

How much do embedded firmware engineers make?

Embedded firmware engineers typically earn between $70,000 and $120,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Entry-level positions may start lower, while experienced engineers with specialized skills in C, C++, or real-time operating systems can earn higher salaries.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer, you need a solid background in C/C++ programming, embedded systems concepts, and electrical or computer engineering, often supported by relevant coursework or project experience. Familiarity with microcontrollers, debugging tools (like oscilloscopes and logic analyzers), and version control systems such as Git is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective teamwork are essential soft skills for success in this role. These competencies ensure reliable firmware development, timely troubleshooting, and seamless collaboration in fast-paced engineering environments.

What types of projects do Summer Embedded Firmware Engineers typically work on, and how do they collaborate with other teams?

As a Summer Embedded Firmware Engineer, you can expect to work on projects involving the development, testing, and debugging of firmware for embedded systems such as microcontrollers, IoT devices, or consumer electronics. Your daily responsibilities often include writing code, performing hardware-software integration, and troubleshooting issues. Collaboration is key; you’ll work closely with hardware engineers to validate designs and with software teams to ensure seamless system operation. This role provides hands-on experience and exposure to the full product development cycle, offering valuable learning opportunities for those seeking to deepen their understanding of embedded systems.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as software engineering, embedded firmware engineering, and data engineering can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and working in high-demand industries or companies. Roles requiring expertise in areas like AI, cybersecurity, or cloud infrastructure often have higher compensation packages.
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Embedded Firmware Engineer

Sophia Space

Pasadena, CA • On-site

$112K - $153K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 17 days ago


Job description

Sophia Space is a venture-backed deep technology company building high-performance, energy-efficient computing systems designed to operate in orbit. Our work sits at the intersection of aerospace systems, advanced computing, and applied physics, supporting early customers and partners across defense, intelligence, and commercial space markets.
We are currently at the Seed stage, scaling our engineering organization and lab infrastructure as we move from technical validation into early commercial deployments. The company is headquartered in California, with primary engineering and lab operations based in Southern California. Over the coming year, Sophia will continue expanding its team, maturing internal systems, and relocating to a new lab facility during the summer.
Team: Tile Development Team
Hiring Authority: VP of Engineering
Role / Title: Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer (Avionics / Platform Interface)
Level: Engineer IV
Location: In Person
Job Description
We are seeking a Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer to develop and integrate flight-critical embedded software for Sophia Space's avionics systems and Tile platform. This role requires deep hands-on experience with hardware bring-up, low-level firmware development, and close collaboration across avionics hardware, systems, and software teams.
This is a highly technical, execution-driven role in a fast-moving startup environment. You will be responsible for bringing new avionics hardware boards from first power-on through stable, flight-ready operation, while ensuring firmware interfaces and drivers integrate cleanly with Jetson-based compute nodes and higher-level platform software. The ideal candidate has extensive hands-on experience writing bootloaders, BSPs, and HALs; reading schematics; probing signals on the bench; and designing resilient embedded software that operates autonomously in constrained, mission-critical environments
Location & Eligibility
This position is primarily in-person in Pasadena, California, with occasional hybrid flexibility based on business needs.
This position requires access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control laws. To comply with applicable ITAR and EAR regulations, applicants must qualify as a U.S. Person, as defined under those regulations. U.S. Persons generally include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and certain protected individuals as defined by applicable law.
Primary Responsibilities
  • Design and implement bootloaders, BSPs, HALs, and low-level device drivers tightly coupled to custom avionics hardware.
  • Bring up new ARM-based flight boards from first power-on through stable firmware operation, working directly from schematics and hardware documentation
  • Build firmware using bare-metal and/or RTOS architectures with deterministic timing and fault tolerance.
  • Develop low-level flight firmware as part of system fault tolerance to, including command and telemetry handling, health monitoring, FDIR, safe-mode behavior, and autonomous recovery.
  • Customize and integrate Jetson Linux platforms, including boot chain, device tree, kernel bring-up, and MCU to Jetson interfaces.
  • Debug and resolve hardware-software integration issues, collaborating closely with avionics and systems engineers through test and flight readiness.
  • Implement and validate power sequencing, reset handling, watchdogs, interrupt
  • handling, DMA, and linker configurations.
  • Customize and integrate Jetson Linux platforms, including boot chain configuration, device tree updates, kernel bring-up, and MCU-to-Jetson interfaces.
  • Debug and resolve hardware-software integration issues using JTAG/SWD, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and other bench tools.
  • Collaborate closely with avionics hardware, systems, and mission teams through integration testing, protoflight activities, and flight readiness reviews.
  • Develop and maintain MCU-side firmware supporting power, thermal, communications, and telemetry functions.
  • Support and evolve redundant communication paths (e.g., dual CAN) for coordination, monitoring, and fault tolerance. Define, document, and maintain stable firmware interfaces consumed by higher-level platform software.
  • Partner with software engineers to ensure firmware behavior aligns with system-level requirements and operational constraints.
  • Contribute to embedded build automation, reproducibility, and test infrastructure where appropriate.

Required Skills
  • 7+ years of hands-on embedded firmware development experience in the aerospace, robotics, automotive, or other safety- or mission-critical systems environments.
  • Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems.
  • Strong experience with ARM Cortex-M (M4/M5/M7 or similar) architectures.
  • Proven experience developing bootloaders, BSPs, HALs, and hardware-facing device drivers.
  • Demonstrated ability to bring up new hardware from schematics to working firmware.
  • Strong understanding of power sequencing, resets, watchdogs, interrupts, DMA, and linker scripts.
  • Hands-on debugging experience with JTAG/SWD, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.
  • Experience working with embedded Linux systems (Jetson or similar platforms)
  • Ability to operate independently and take full ownership in a startup environment

Desired Skills
  • Familiarity with flight software architectures and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) concepts.
  • Experience with RTOS environments such as FreeRTOS, RTEMS, RTLinux, or Embassy
  • Experience with radiation-tolerant or space-grade MCUs
  • Familiarity with embedded communication protocols such as CAN, RS485, SPI, I2C, UART, SpaceWire, or CCSDS telemetry systems
  • Experience with secure boot, image signing, and in-field firmware update strategies
  • Experience to CI/CD pipeline or automated build environments for embedded systems
  • Experience with supporting protoflight or flight hardware and design reviews