Senior Firmware Engineer

Senior Firmware EngineerSomewear's software platform and satellite-powered hardware enable commercial and government teams to maintain situational awareness during high-pressure operations — in any environment. Somewear serves a wide range of customers including helicopter paramedics, backcountry explorers, wildland firefighters, and operators within the US Department of Defense. Our purpose is to build best-in-class solutions that keep people in touch, informed, and safe anywhere in the world.We're looking for a Firmware Engineer to help push the boundaries of off-grid communication. Working from our San Francisco or Chicago offices, you will work at the intersection of custom hardware, satellite modems, LTE, Bluetooth, mesh networking, and sensors — writing software that directly powers life-saving missions in the most demanding environments on earth.Join us to make an impact"Recently, the United States Air National Guard 131st Rescue Squadron successfully employed Somewear's unique ATAK integration to coordinate and monitor a civilian rescue operation 1,200 miles off the U.S. Pacific coast. The consistent communications and situational awareness across rescue personnel, medical personnel, aircrafts, and the operations center led to an efficient rescue mission that took half of the expected time to complete."What You'll DoWrite production-quality embedded software in C, C++, and Rust targeting Zephyr RTOS on resource-constrained hardwareOwn features end-to-end — from technical design through implementation, validation, and field deploymentImplement and maintain device drivers for peripherals including GPS/GNSS, cellular modems, satellite transceivers, IMUs, and power management ICsSupport board bring-up and hardware validation alongside electrical engineers, including schematic review and signal integrity debuggingDevelop and maintain communication protocol stacks across satellite, LTE, Bluetooth, and mesh radio linksOptimize firmware for power consumption, memory footprint, and real-time performance in battery-operated, thermally constrained deploymentsBuild and maintain CI/CD pipelines, automated test frameworks, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test infrastructureContribute to secure boot, OTA update mechanisms, and firmware integrity validationCollaborate closely with mobile engineers to evolve application-layer protocols and data synchronization strategiesParticipate in code reviews, establish engineering standards, and help define best practices for the embedded teamRequired Experience5+ years of professional firmware development on constrained embedded systems (ARM Cortex-M series or equivalent)Proficiency in C and C++; familiarity with Rust or motivation to learn itHands-on experience with RTOS environments (Zephyr, FreeRTOS, ThreadX, or similar)Strong working knowledge of serial communication protocols: UART, SPI, I²C, USBExperience with wireless protocols — Bluetooth LE, 802.15.4/Zigbee/Thread, or proprietary meshComfort debugging at the hardware level using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD debuggers, and power analyzersA genuine passion for reliability and safety in mission-critical systemsNice to HaveExperience with satellite communication modems (Iridium, Orbcomm, Globalstar, or similar)Familiarity with cellular modem integration (LTE-M, NB-IoT, Cat-1)Exposure to mesh networking protocols (Bluetooth mesh, LoRa mesh, or custom RF mesh)Experience with GNSS/GPS receiver integration and multi-constellation positioningBackground in defense, aerospace, first responder technology, or other safety-critical domainsKnowledge of secure firmware practices: secure boot, code signing, encrypted OTAExperience with HIL testing, pytest-based firmware test frameworks, or similar automated validation toolingContributions to open-source embedded projectsWhat You'll Love About SomewearA competitive and equitable compensation plan — full-time, salaried with equityHealth, dental, and vision benefitsFocus Days: No meetings every Monday so you can do your best workUnlimited PTO and flexible parental leaveWrite firmware that directly impacts mission-critical operations and saves livesWork with an ambitious team solving genuinely hard technical problemsDirect access to senior leadership and meaningful influence on engineering cultureAn authentic investment in you as a human being and your career as a professionalNote: U.S. Persons ONLY. Please only apply if you meet this requirement.Hybrid from either San Francisco, CA or Chicago, IL