Senior Firmware Engineer

Clientmind Recruiting is searching for a Senior Firmware Engineer for a growing technology company in Greenbelt, MD. This role is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining firmware and software in various applications. This is a full‑time position and will work onsite 3x per week.

Responsibilities

• Firmware Development : Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for a variety of microcontroller‑based systems, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, and power efficiency.
• Architecture & Design : Collaborate in defining system architecture and firmware design, including low‑level driver development for sensors and I/O interfaces, hardware abstraction layers, and communication protocols.
• Debugging & Troubleshooting : Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex firmware and system issues, utilizing tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers.
• Code Optimization : Optimize firmware for performance, memory usage, and power consumption while adhering to real‑time and safety‑critical requirements.
• Collaboration & Communication : Work closely with hardware engineers, software teams, and product managers to ensure seamless integration of firmware with hardware and system‑level applications.
• Documentation : Produce high‑quality documentation, including specifications, design documents, test plans, and user manuals to support firmware development and maintenance.
• Testing & Validation : Develop and execute unit tests, integration tests, and system‑level validation to ensure firmware quality and robustness.
• Mentorship : Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior and mid‑level engineers, guiding them in best practices and solving complex engineering challenges.
• Continuous Improvement : Stay up‑to‑date with the latest developments in embedded systems, firmware development techniques, and industry trends, and contribute to the improvement of engineering practices.

Required Qualifications

• Clearance : US Citizen with Secret level security clearance or ability and willingness to obtain a clearance.
• Education : Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Experience : Minimum of 8+ years of hands‑on experience in embedded firmware development with a proven track record of successful project execution.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ programming languages for embedded systems.
• Extensive experience with microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex‑M, STM32, i.MX), including hardware‑level programming and peripheral interfacing.
• Expertise in both bare‑metal and RTOS (Real‑Time Operating Systems) embedded software architectures.
• Experience with communication protocols such as UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, etc.
• Proficient with debugging tools such as JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and IDE debuggers.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git, SVN).
• Problem‑Solving : Strong analytical skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex embedded system issues.
• Documentation : Ability to produce clear, concise documentation and reports.
• Collaboration : Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross‑functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Experience : Experience with FPGA development, low‑level hardware design, or system‑on‑chip (SoC) integration.
• Embedded Linux : Experience programming on custom embedded Linux platforms running on embedded application processors. Familiarity with building custom Linux features and power/speed optimization.
• Software Skills : Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Python) for automation or testing purposes.