Lead Embedded Firmware Engineer - Contract (1099)

Senior Firmware Engineer

We are seeking a senior firmware engineer with 10+ years of professional embedded development experience who has deep expertise in Matter protocol implementation on Espressif's ESP32 platform using ESP-IDF. This role requires end-to-end ownership of the device firmware stack, from schematic review and board bring-up through production firmware, OTA, and certification.

What You'll Be Working On

We dedicate each engineer to a single project in order to promote focus and minimize context switching. You will be developing production-grade firmware for Matter-enabled devices from bring-up to certification. You will own firmware development across the full device lifecycle, including schematic review, board bring-up, driver integration, OTA updates, and certification readiness. You will also participate in hardware debugging and validation using tools such as JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and protocol sniffers to diagnose low-level issues across firmware, hardware, and network layers. You'll collaborate closely with hardware engineers and cross-functional teams to deliver production-ready devices. This role involves debugging complex, real-world interoperability issues across Matter ecosystems (Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa), requiring deep protocol-level understanding and hands-on problem solving.

Must-Haves

• 10+ years professional embedded/firmware engineering in C/C++
• Significant experience with ESP-IDF — not Arduino wrappers, but real ESP-IDF work: CMake/Kconfig build system, partition tables, NVS, OTA frameworks, FreeRTOS task management, and low-level driver integration (I2C, SPI, UART, ADC, GPIO)
• Direct, demonstrable work implementing Matter on ESP32-series silicon (ESP32, ESP32-C3, ESP32-S3, or ESP32-H2) using Espressif's ESP-Matter SDK or the upstream Connectedhomeip stack
• Hands-on with at least one Matter transport at the firmware level — Wi-Fi or Thread (802.15.4)
• Experience debugging commissioning flows, interop failures, and protocol-level issues across ecosystems (Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa)
• Familiarity with secure boot, flash encryption, and device attestation in the Matter context
• Comfortable reading specs (Matter, Thread, 802.15.4) and translating them into working firmware

Location and Residency

• Must reside in the continental US (to facilitate overnight shipping to our clients and the majority of our software team).
• Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship

Strong Signals

• Contributions to open-source Matter or ESP-IDF repositories
• Experience taking a Matter device through CSA certification
• Background in adjacent protocols — Zigbee, Z-Wave, BLE Mesh — demonstrating breadth across the connected device landscape
• History of working in a consultancy or product development firm where they've shipped across multiple product lines, not just one internal product
• Comfort with hardware debug toolchains — JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, protocol sniffers
• Experience standing up CI/CD for firmware builds and automated test harnesses

Skills

In addition to experience, these are the critical skills we look for in all technical roles, and how they should be demonstrated at the Lead level.

• Can debug complex firmware and hardware interactions under real-time constraints
• Are comfortable working with incomplete specifications and ambiguous device behavior
• Take ownership of problems end-to-end, from root cause analysis through production resolution
• Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders in a client-facing environment

This Role Is Likely NOT a Fit If

• Your ESP32 experience is limited to Arduino IDE or PlatformIO hobby projects
• Your Matter knowledge is purely theoretical or limited to running the chip-tool demo
• You don't have experience with real-time debugging or protocol-level troubleshooting
• You have only worked on a single long-lived product with no exposure to bring-up or new platform work

Compensation USD $100 per hour (may be negotiable based on experience) Contract & Scope

• 1099 contract engagement
• Expected commitment: 30–40 hours per week

Why Work for Very

We do not promise an easy ride — we promise meaningful work.

We work hard because our clients' success depends on it, and we take pride in delivering when others can't. We collaborate closely, move fast, and stay grounded in results. We take joy in the process — in the problem-solving, the iteration, and the shared wins that come from doing the hard things well.

If you're looking for a place where every project matters, where the standards are high, and where you'll grow by pushing yourself and others — welcome to Very. Interviewing for a new company is a serious time commitment for all parties involved. Please take the time to read this and thoughtfully consider if we would be a good fit for one another. No agencies. Seriously. #LI-Remote