Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer

About Optivolt

Optiolt’s mission is to overshoot humanity’s energy supply by reimagining solar.

America is at an inflection point. We need reliable energy fast. The grid is aging. And solar, the only technology that deploys quickly enough, is still constrained by technology frozen in time.

To close this gap, we build intelligent solar systems that think and adapt to real world conditions. Optivolt solar systems understand the sun, the weather, shading, harsh conditions, and optimize energy flow in real time. Every Optivolt panel is designed with an aerospace power electronics brain sealed inside to make solar more powerful and cost effective than ever in any condition.

The next step is putting it everywhere. In the home as Optivolt Home Solar and in the field as Optivolt Solar Fields. Hyper performant, controllable, reliable solar that works for everyone, everywhere.

Our Team & Traction

Optivolt is a team of some of the best builders and doers in the world, drawing from incredible talent pools in aerospace, electrical engineering, design-led organizations. We ultimately will win by designing and building the world’s best solar energy products.

But chiefly important, our organization is a lab for those devoted to solving some of the toughest problems in energy. Everyone is expected to contribute to the mission meaningfully. Clear communication, rapid iteration, and strong work ethic is the floor for anyone on our team.

To date we’ve shipped over 20,000 units and have companies worth billions of dollars relying on our solar architecture.

Why we are looking for you

We are looking for an experienced Embedded Firmware Engineer ready to take on a wide range of projects. Candidates should be ready to contribute to all parts of the firmware development process and provide input on hardware development. Candidates should be comfortable working hands-on with hardware, excited to work in a fast-paced and fluid start-up environment, and experienced with relevant connected, distributed systems.

What you’ll do

• Develop embedded firmware for the Optivolt Hub and Optivolt Balancer, including current and next-generation products, with a focus on the Optivolt Hub

• Own the full lifecycle of new features to maximize device performance, improve system reliability, and elevate the user experience

• Implement systems to provide better insights and tools for support engineers to remotely assist customers

• Expand integration and unit test coverage, including new hardware-in-the-loop setups

• Develop ancillary desktop or embedded software to support development, testing, and production

• Work closely with hardware engineers and designers in the creation and bring-up of next-generation hardware

• Provide support to customers when issues get escalated to engineering; a small amount of travel may be required

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

• Proficiency in writing reliable, maintainable embedded C/C++ applications with an RTOS

• Proficiency with Python and/or other scripting languages for desktop tooling

• Demonstrated ability to own features from conception to implementation, including design, architecture, integration with external systems and stakeholders, development, testing, and maintenance

• Experience with communication protocols, including I2C, SPI, UART, RS-485, etc.

• Experience with wireless networking: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (LE), and/or similar

• Ability to develop tests and test setups for unit testing and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) integration testing

• Experience using and implementing CI/CD systems (such as GitHub Actions) for embedded applications

• Hands-on experience working with and troubleshooting embedded hardware

• Proficiency with basic lab and test equipment, including power supplies, multi-meters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, etc.

• Experience with multi-processor or coprocessor system architectures, particularly involving embedded Linux running alongside an RTOS

Preferred skills

• Experience with Zephyr / nRF Connect SDK and embedded Linux coprocessor environments

• Experience with BLE Mesh or other Mesh Networking protocols

• Familiarity with Functional Safety code, including UL/IEC 61730, MISRA, or equivalents

• Familiarity with UL 1741 for solar hardware, specifically regarding Rapid Shutdown

• Experience writing bare-metal C/C++

• Experience working with solar

Additional requirements

• Willingness to work extended hours as needed to support critical milestones

• Everyone at Optivolt is required to participate in on call support for customers

• Must be based in San Francisco, CA

Pay and benefits

The estimated starting base salary range for this role is $160K-220K depending on level, location and experience, plus a generous pre-IPO equity package

Other benefits include comprehensive health coverage, unlimited PTO, plus extra fun perks!