Freelance Remote Firmware Engineer Jobs Near Me

Senior Electrical Engineer Location: Columbus, Ohio Work Schedule: Hybrid — 4 days onsite, 1 day remote Employment Type: Full-time Travel: Up to 10% domestic and international travel We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Electrical Engineer to design, document, test, and support advanced electrical and electronic systems. This role will lead the development of power components, printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), and embedded firmware from proof of concept through product launch and ongoing production support. The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on embedded hardware and firmware expertise with the technical leadership needed to guide complex product-development efforts across global, cross-functional teams. Please note: This position is based in Columbus, Ohio. Candidates must currently reside in or near the Columbus area and be able to work onsite four days per week. This role is not available for C2C, third-party representation, or visa sponsorship. Key Responsibilities Develop microcomputer-based embedded systems from proof of concept through production launch, emphasizing quality, reliability, and manufacturability. Design analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power-electronic circuits, including microcontroller-based systems, communication interfaces, signal conditioning, and monitoring circuitry. Develop and maintain embedded firmware for microcontrollers and electronic subsystems. Make architecture-level decisions that affect product performance, reliability, manufacturability, cybersecurity, maintainability, and long-term product strategy. Provide technical leadership during product planning, design reviews, risk assessments, and technology roadmap development. Collaborate with firmware, systems, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, service, and supply-chain teams to support successful product integration and release. Create and maintain engineering documentation, including requirements, design specifications, interface definitions, test procedures, verification reports, BOMs, and engineering change documentation. Plan and execute hardware verification activities, including functional, environmental, regulatory-compliance, reliability, and automated testing. Lead root-cause investigations and cross-functional technical resolutions for critical customer, field, and production issues. Partner with production teams on line setup, assembly support, end-of-line testing, and manufacturing-process improvements. Drive continuous-improvement initiatives that reduce product cost, simplify manufacturing, and enhance system performance. Coordinate with Supply Chain to evaluate vendor manufacturing capabilities and identify or qualify alternate components. Support the design, production, and validation teams in developing automated test fixtures as needed. Travel up to 10% for field troubleshooting, data collection, customer support, and site surveys in the United States and internationally. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline. 7+ years of electrical engineering experience supporting industrial products, with a strong background in embedded systems electronics design. Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering is a plus. Demonstrated experience designing microcomputer hardware and peripherals, including schematic capture and bill of materials creation. Proficiency developing and implementing firmware for microcontrollers and embedded systems. Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills across both embedded hardware and firmware. Advanced proficiency using development and diagnostic tools, including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and debuggers. Experience with electronic hardware design tools; Altium Designer experience is strongly preferred. Experience with PCB layout design. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively across cross-functional teams. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Preferred Qualifications Experience with high-speed data routing and electromagnetic-interference mitigation techniques in PCB design. Experience designing high-power electronics and PCBs, including constant-current AC systems. Familiarity with advanced electronics and EMC testing using network analyzers, ESD simulators, RF test equipment, and related tools. Knowledge of power-line communication protocols. Experience with communication interfaces such as UART, I2C, SPI, CAN, Ethernet, HDMI, and USB. Experience working with STMicroelectronics microcontrollers. Work Authorization and Location Requirements Candidates must currently reside in or near Columbus, Ohio. Candidates must be able to work a hybrid schedule of four onsite days and one remote day per week. This position is not open to C2C arrangements, third-party agencies, or visa sponsorship. By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. EEO Notice Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law. Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HR@vaco.com . Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal. Representation Notice By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. You also agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal. For residents of Ontario, Canada: Based on Highspring’s discussions with its Client, Highspring’s understanding is that this position for employment is a current vacancy (either through Highspring as a contractor or with the client directly). Privacy Notice Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries (“we,” “our,” or “Vaco by Highspring”) respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies. California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here. Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here. Residents of all other states may access our policies here. Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here. Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here. Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring’s use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client’s use of AI products in hiring. Pay Transparency Notice Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to: the individual’s skill sets, experience and training; licensure and certification requirements; office location and other geographic considerations; other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.