Embedded Systems Engineer

Role: Technical Lead – Embedded Systems / Vehicle Platforms Location: Bay Area, CA, United States Experience: 10+ Years Industry: Automotive / Embedded Systems / Vehicle Platforms Job Summary We are looking for an experienced Technical Lead – Embedded Systems / Vehicle Platforms to lead the architecture and development of software platforms integrating vehicle compute, sensors, networking, and embedded hardware. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in C/C++, Python, Linux, RTOS, embedded firmware, device drivers, automotive networking, and system-level software development. This role requires strong technical leadership across software, hardware, and systems engineering teams, with hands-on experience in hardware bring-up, Linux networking, embedded firmware, and platform optimization. Key Responsibilities System Architecture & Technical Leadership Architect and lead the design of vehicle compute, networking, and embedded software platforms. Develop modular and scalable interfaces between higher-level software and diverse hardware platforms. Provide technical leadership on complex system-level challenges involving Linux kernel, networking, embedded systems, and performance optimization. Mentor senior engineers and provide technical guidance on architecture and implementation. Embedded Firmware & Device Drivers Design and develop reliable embedded firmware for custom hardware platforms. Develop low-level device drivers and interfaces for CAN, LIN, FlexRay, Ethernet, I2C, and SPI. Develop and debug applications running on RTOS environments such as FreeRTOS. Develop, debug, and test Ethernet- and CAN-based bootloaders. Perform low-level debugging and optimize firmware for performance, reliability, and memory efficiency. Sensor & Hardware Integration Lead integration of sensors and embedded devices into vehicle platforms. Define low-latency data interfaces and communication standards. Collaborate with electrical and hardware engineering teams during PCB bring-up, debugging, and validation. Support integration of automotive sensors including LiDAR, radar, and cameras. Platform Reliability & Validation Define technical strategies for hardware health monitoring and fleet-wide platform performance. Analyze system metrics and develop actionable performance and reliability improvements. Establish Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing standards and automated performance profiling. Ensure onboard software meets reliability, stability, and safety requirements. Required Qualifications 10+ years of professional software engineering experience. 7+ years of system-level development experience, including hardware bring-up and Linux networking. 3+ years of hands-on embedded firmware development experience. Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field. Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ and Python. Strong experience designing high-performance, thread-safe, and memory-efficient systems. Strong experience with automated performance profiling and system optimization. Deep expertise in Linux, including kernel-level tuning and debugging. Hands-on experience with RTOS, particularly FreeRTOS. Strong knowledge of hardware communication interfaces including: I2C SPI CAN LIN FlexRay Ethernet Strong knowledge of networking protocols including TCP, UDP, gRPC, RTP, and Experience with hardware/software integration and low-level debugging. Strong technical leadership and cross-functional collaboration experience. Preferred / Nice-to-Have Skills Experience with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), including PTP/gPTP. Strong understanding of Ethernet switching architectures and OSI Layers 1–4. CCNA/CCNP certification is a plus. Experience with automotive operating systems such as QNX, AUTOSAR, or OSEK. Experience porting embedded operating systems to new microprocessors. Experience optimizing heterogeneous computing platforms involving CPU, GPU, and hardware accelerators. Experience with ISO 26262 and functional safety standards. Experience developing safety-critical automotive or robotic systems. Experience designing distributed hardware health-monitoring systems for large-scale fleets. Hands-on experience with LiDAR, radar, and camera sensor integration. Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and power supplies for hardware debugging.