EMBEDDED OS ENGINEER

Our client is looking for a hands-on Embedded OS Engineer to own the Ubuntu-based
Linux firmware stack on our MK2 drone platform (Qualcomm QRB5165). You will be the
person who builds the OS, keeps it secure, makes it reliable, and ships it through
automated CI/CD pipelines.

This is not a role for someone who has only worked at the application layer. We need
someone comfortable navigating low-level OS internals, Yocto’s BitBake machinery,
system unit files, and the realities of headless embedded hardware with no display and
limited recovery options.

 

Yocto / BitBake Build System

Own and maintain the teal-mk2-build repository, including layer configuration,
local.conf tuning, and image recipes that produce the qti-ubuntu-robotics-image.

 

Write and maintain .bb recipes and .bbappend overlays; create .patch files (git
diff–based) against the pinned Qualcomm QRB5165 BSP (LU.UM.3.3.1) so that
upstream sources are never modified directly.
• Debug BitBake task failures—understanding the do_fetch → do_compile →
do_rootfs → do_image pipeline, sstate-cache behavior, and when to use -c
cleansstate vs. -c rootfs -f.
• Optimize build performance: reduce full-build times by understanding QEMU
emulation overhead vs. native ARM64 compilation, tuning
BB_NUMBER_THREADS and PARALLEL_MAKE, and leveraging shared sstatecache
across Jenkins agents.
• Manage package inclusion, exclusion (IMAGE_INSTALL:remove,
PACKAGE_EXCLUDE, BAD_RECOMMENDATIONS), and inter-recipe
dependency graphs.

 

Rootfs Post-Processing & OS Hardening

Implement ROOTFS_POSTPROCESS_COMMAND functions to perform postbuild
OS customization: package upgrades, apt security patching (Ubuntu ESM),
service installation, and file system fixups.
• Remove unnecessary services from production images—including servers
(lig TFTP daemons, and other attack-surface-expanding services identified
in Blue List / Nessus security assessments.
• Write bash scripts and systemd service units that execute reliably in a headless,
rootfs post-install context (no interactive terminal, limited /proc and /dev
availability).
• Manage the dpkg / apt ecosystem within the embedded rootfs: pinning packages,
handling held packages, validating package state, and ensuring apt lock files are
clean across incremental builds

 

Jenkins CI/CD Pipelines

Maintain and improve Jenkins pipelines that build Yocto firmware images,
including handling concurrent build isolation, artifact staging, and race conditions
between parallel jobs.

 

Diagnose and resolve Jenkins agent performance issues: Java heap tuning,
Docker overlay2 disk pressure, container lifecycle management, and build
environment reproducibility.
• Implement proper artifact copy patterns (stageDir isolation) to prevent race
conditions when multiple builds run concurrently against shared directories.
• Manage GitLab repository structure and branch protection for the build repo;
implement .patch-based change workflows that preserve the integrity of pinned
upstream BSP branches

 

Embedded Linux System Configuration
• Configure systemd-networkd for runtime network mode switching (DHCP ↔ linklocal)
on headless devices using udev rules, button-press event handlers, and
LED feedback mechanisms.
• Write and maintain systemd service units and timers: understanding WantedBy,
After, Requires, and ExecStart semantics for embedded boot sequences.
• Implement reliable USB logging and file transfer services (usb-gadget, udevadm)
for field diagnostics on devices with no screen.
• Develop and maintain Prometheus node_exporter integrations and processexporter
configurations for drone fleet health monitoring via Grafana dashboards.

Security & Compliance
• Remediate Nessus / Blue List security findings affecting the embedded OS: SSH
hardening (key-only auth, sshd_config tuning), open port reduction, and service
inventory documentation.
• Maintain /etc/shadow hygiene, locked account policies, and PAM configurations
appropriate for production embedded devices.
• Generate and maintain security compliance artifacts (port inventories, service
lists, patch status reports) for internal security assessors.

 

Reliability & Performance Tuning
• Profile and diagnose slow boot sequences, runaway processes, and memory
pressure on ARM64 embedded hardware.
• Use screen, tmux, and remote shell tooling to manage long-running build and
deployment sessions on headless servers and devices.
• Implement OS-level monitoring: log capture services, boot-time diagnostics, and
watchdog patterns for unattended field deployment.
• Advise on cloud build infrastructure choices (AWS Graviton / Azure ARM64) to
eliminate QEMU emulation overhead and achieve 3–5× build time reductions.