Embedded Software Engineer

Embedded Software EngineerSan JoseHark is an artificial intelligence company building advanced, personalized intelligence. One that is proactive, multimodal, and capable of interacting with the world through speech, text, vision, and persistent memory.We're pairing that intelligence with next-generation hardware to create a universal interface between humans and machines. While today's AI largely operates through chat boxes and decade-old devices, Hark is focused on what comes next: agentic systems that interact naturally with people and the real world.To get there, we're developing multimodal models and next-generation AI hardware together - designed from the ground up as a single, unified interface for a new era of intelligent systems.About the RoleYou'll own critical pieces of the firmware stack that powers Hark's consumer products — from board bring-up and peripheral drivers to the runtime environment that hosts on-device intelligence. This isn't firmware in a vacuum. You'll work directly with the hardware team on new silicon and sensor integrations, with the agent team on model execution and memory constraints, and with products on experiences that ship to real users. The problems are real, the constraints are tight, and the work matters immediately.ResponsibilitiesDevelop and maintain embedded firmware in C/C++ targeting ARM-based SoCs and microcontrollersOwn BSP development, peripheral driver integration (SPI, I2C, UART, I2S), and RTOS task schedulingOptimize power consumption and thermal performance for always-on, battery-powered operationBuild and maintain OTA update infrastructure for reliable field updatesCollaborate with the on-device AI team to support model inference within memory and latency budgetsDevelop factory test and calibration firmware for manufacturingDebug complex hardware-software interactions using logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and JTAGRequirements3+ years of professional firmware or embedded systems developmentStrong proficiency in C and/or C++ in resource-constrained environmentsExperience with ARM Cortex-M or Cortex-A processors and associated toolchainsHands-on experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar)Familiarity with wireless protocols (BLE, Wi-Fi, or Thread)Comfort reading schematics and working alongside hardware engineers during board bring-upExperience with embedded debugging tools and workflowsBonus QualificationsExperience with power optimization for battery-powered consumer devicesFamiliarity with secure boot, firmware signing, or hardware root of trustExposure to ML inference runtimes on embedded platformsExperience shipping consumer electronics through EVT/DVT/PVT milestonesCompensationThe US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.