Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Senior Embedded Software EngineereGauge Systems is an established technology company in Boulder, CO, making revenue-grade smart energy meters. Our growing company supplies products to commercial and residential customers around the world. Our goal is to provide hardware and services that help people better understand their energy use, save money, and save energy. Our customers include residential solar, industrial manufacturing, agriculture, and more! We're a privately held, 20-year-old, self-funded company that's highly profitable, operates with complete financial stability, and deeply values work-life balance and well-being for our employees.We run on a flat organizational layout centered on radical transparency. Beyond sensitive HR data, all internal company documentation, bugs, tickets, and meeting updates are entirely open and accessible to all staff members. For anyone who has been at the firm longer than a year, our average employee tenure is an exceptional 6.99 years.Job Summary: We're looking for a Senior Embedded Software Engineer to design, develop, and optimize firmware and low-level software for our products. You'll work closely with hardware engineers and product teams to build robust and efficient embedded systems from concept through production, as well as maintaining code for 100K+ actively deployed devices.This role serves as a critical individual contributor position focused directly on pure firmware implementation and software architecture with no requirement or expectation for management aspirations. You will be responsible for offloading core system competencies from our technical founder ahead of their planned 2030 retirement.This position is a salaried full-time position, with a hybrid work schedule (2 days in office, 3 days remote) at our central Boulder facility.Key ResponsibilitiesWrite efficient, well-documented code in C for real-time, resource-constrained environments.Architect and execute a long-term codebase migration strategy from C over to Rust, initiating a separate greenfield codebase from scratch to run concurrently with legacy updates.Develop and maintain embedded Linux components, including kernel modules, drivers, and board support packages.Design and implement software architecture for embedded systems with a specific focus on long-term scalability, moving the team structurally away from short-term "band-aid" patches.Take complete ownership of the CI/CD pipeline to help implement a predictable, quarterly product release cadence.Write Python tooling for test automation, build systems, diagnostics, and calibration software.Develop and maintain device drivers, bootloaders, and communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, USB, etc.).Collaborate closely with hardware engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle, from early schematic review and component selection through board bring-up, debugging, and validation.Act as an inquisitive, opinionated voice within the team, demonstrating the agency to challenge technical practices and say "stop" to preserve engineering outcomes.Optimize software for performance, memory footprint, and power consumption across three product generations running on the same firmware stack.Participate in code reviews, architecture reviews, and technical design decisions.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent hands-on experience).5+ years (ideally 10+ years) of professional experience in embedded software development.Demonstrated proficiency in C and a clear readiness or experience to adopt Rust for systems-level programming.Working proficiency in Python for tooling, automation, or test infrastructure.Hands-on experience with embedded Linux, including kernel configuration, device drivers, or kernel module development.Solid experience with Git, including branching workflows and collaborative development practices.Demonstrated experience in software architecture—designing systems for scalability, maintainability, and cross-team reuse.Demonstrated ability to diagnose complex hardware and/or low-level software issues using tools like oscilloscopes or logic analyzers to isolate bugs.A natural, baseline technical curiosity and interest in physical hardware devices.Preferred QualificationsExperience with CI/CD pipelines for embedded software (build automation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, automated firmware deployment).Experience with UL/ANSI or other hardware certifications.Experience working with embedded industrial hardware.Familiarity with power distribution and math/scientific approaches to waveform data analysis.BenefitsTarget base salary range of $150,000 to $180,000.Highly competitive total comp package including base and bonuses.401(K) plan with company match.Medical, dental, and vision insurance.Paid time off and paid family leave policy.Tuition reimbursement.Consistent 40-hour work week structure with genuine priority on work-life balance.Weekly company catered lunch every Wednesday.Dog-friendly office environment.E-bike incentive programs and flexible daily working hours.