Principal Software Engineer (Connectivity)

Job Description

The Principal Software Engineer (Connectivity) will be responsible for the development of software for the Connectivity module to connect with water heating products and HVAC products, including requirements, design, qualification, and life cycle support. Will work to implement and extend a common connectivity and reusable architecture strategy within Rheem. This is a key position on the electronic controls team within Rheem's Advanced Technology Integration organization, providing advanced technologies and systems solutions for Rheem's products and other business units.

This position will serve the Rheem Enterprise Division located in Indianapolis, IN (Onsite).

Responsibilities

• Work with systems engineering, product engineering, marketing, manufacturing, and others to capture electronic controls requirements for specific water heating applications.
• Work collaboratively with Lead Software and Systems Architecture Engineer to develop and extend software architecture and design for software applications.
• Develop software and associated documentation for embedded applications, following team design conventions.
• Provide a comprehensive self-review and test of the software.
• Work with hardware, systems, R&D, product, and validation engineers to support the validation of the software in the product application, with a focus on identifying and resolving any software, hardware, or system anomalies.
• Work with manufacturing and service on the implementation and validation of software features to support construction and field support.
• Support the development of tools for PC, handheld, and other devices that could be used for development, testing, manufacturing, service, and/or other applications.
• Work with cross-functional teams through direct interactions and team meetings in developing and translating new concepts into applications.
• Develop performance and qualification test methods, coordinate the implementation of experiments, and evaluate test results.
• Lead and participate in formal design reviews of electronic controls requirements, schematics, layouts, and software, as well as FMEA, DFM, DFT, and other related analyses.
• Prepare and support the review and release of formal requirements, design, and qualification documentation.
• Continue to develop professionally. Represent the company as requested in technical societies and keep the company advised of pertinent developments, new concepts, and opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience developing production embedded software for microprocessor-based controls in C/C++ and assembly.
• Strong experience across the full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including:
  • Requirements elicitation and decomposition (system → software)
  • Architecture and design
  • Implementation and code reviews
  • Verification, validation, and qualification
  • Launch support (manufacturing, field readiness)
  • Sustaining engineering, defect resolution, and field issue support
• Proven experience developing real-time, multi-threaded embedded systems.
• Expertise with embedded peripherals and interfaces such as SPI, QSPI, UART, RS485, and Ethernet.
• Experience with secure embedded platforms, including secure boot chains, image authentication, anti-rollback protection, and secure key handling.
• Experience supporting firmware update mechanisms (including OTA or field update strategies) across development, launch, and sustaining phases.
• Experience working closely with cross-functional teams including systems engineering, hardware, product, manufacturing, validation, and service.
• Strong debugging and failure analysis skills using hardware/software tools (emulators, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, test instrumentation).
• Ability to read and interpret schematics, wiring diagrams, and hardware documentation.
• Experience producing clear software design, requirements, and test documentation to support development and lifecycle maintenance.
• Experience participating in or leading design reviews, FMEA, DFM/DFT, and technical reviews.
• Proficiency with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical concepts clearly to engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.

Must possess and demonstrate proficiency in the following competency areas:

• Ethics/Integrity
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Flexibility
• Dependability
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication (present and clearly communicate technical information to engineering audiences)
• Problem-solving

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with connectivity technologies and protocols, including:
  • Wireless: BLE, Wi-Fi, Thread, Matter, Amazon Sidewalk
  • Wired/Protocols: BACnet, Modbus, TCP/IP
• Experience with security features such as Secure Boot, X.509 certificates, TLS, and encrypted file systems.
• Experience implementing OTA over wireless or cloud-connected systems.
• Experience with model-based development tools (MATLAB, LabVIEW).
• Familiarity with statistical methods or Design of Experiments (DOE).
• Experience supporting connected or IoT-enabled products in consumer or industrial environments.

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About Us

At Rheem, we engineer products for life. For home life. For work life. For the life of the planet we all share. Backed by over 100 years of expertise, we're passionate about product innovation and boldly committed to sustainability. Our full line of global air and water solutions deliver reliable performance, comfort and energy savings for residential and commercial applications worldwide. From engineers to accountants, sales professionals to support experts, Rheem depends on people to power our innovations. Join Rheem and help shape the future of products that impact lives-every day.

Our Behavior Based Values set us apart:

• Listening to Understand - Open mind, learning from others, accepting feedback, embracing the objective
• Contributing Respectfully - Sharing opinions, valuing ideas, sharing opposing perspectives with respect
• Thinking Creatively - Applying creativity, seeking improvements, understanding from the customers' lens
• Acting with Responsibility - Owning decisions and actions, acting with integrity, embracing accountability

Rheem is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Rheem encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including those of any race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. The job description above has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Equivalent combination of education, experience, and skills may supplement above minimum job requirements.

For U.S. Based jobs, please note that Rheem is unable to hire candidates to be employed in the following states: Alaska, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, or Vermont.

Rheem and its subsidiaries do not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of an executed Recruitment Services Agreement, there will be no obligation to any referral compensation or recruiter fee.