This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Lead Embedded Firmware Engineer based in Canada.
Join a collaborative, fully remote engineering team developing innovative connected devices for commercial, industrial, and consumer applications.
Responsibilities
Own firmware architecture, technical direction, and key engineering decisions, balancing performance, reliability, security, and maintainability.
Serve as the primary firmware technical contact for clients, translating product requirements into technical specifications, project plans, estimates, and actionable development priorities.
Lead firmware project planning, identify technical risks and dependencies early, and coordinate delivery across engineering and stakeholder teams.
Establish and maintain firmware coding standards, code review practices, testing strategies, release processes, and technical documentation.
Mentor and support engineers, promote knowledge sharing, and guide the team through complex technical challenges.
Design, develop, and maintain production-grade embedded firmware in C/C++ for ESP32-based connected devices using ESP-IDF and RTOS-based development approaches.
Conduct hardware bring-up, review schematics, integrate low-level drivers, and develop interfaces for sensors, actuators, LEDs, and other peripherals using I2C, SPI, UART, ADC, and GPIO.
Implement Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) provisioning, Wi-Fi connectivity, and secure device-to-cloud communication using AWS IoT Core, MQTT over TLS, and certificate-based authentication.
Design, maintain, and optimize over-the-air (OTA) firmware update mechanisms, including secure updates, rollback capabilities, and staged deployment strategies.
Diagnose and resolve complex issues across firmware, hardware, wireless protocols, and cloud services using tools such as JTAG/SWD debuggers, logic analyzers, and protocol sniffers.
Collaborate with hardware, mobile, and backend teams to define device data models, telemetry requirements, and device-to-cloud interfaces.
Work with contract manufacturers to support factory flashing, device provisioning, production readiness, and hardware validation throughout EVT, DVT, and PVT stages.
Support product certification activities, including FCC compliance, and ensure firmware meets applicable production and security requirements.
Improve firmware CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, development tooling, and device automation to increase delivery quality and efficiency.
Requirements
At least 8 years of professional embedded software or firmware engineering experience using C/C++, including experience delivering production-quality systems.
At least 2 years in a technical leadership role, with responsibility for firmware architecture, engineering standards, code reviews, and mentoring other developers.
Significant hands-on experience developing production firmware for Espressif ESP32 platforms using ESP-IDF, including RTOS-based development, peripheral drivers, OTA updates, and production deployment.
Demonstrated experience developing connected-device firmware on wireless platforms, including BLE and Wi-Fi, with a strong understanding of communication stacks, device provisioning, and interoperability.
Practical experience integrating devices with cloud-based IoT platforms, particularly AWS IoT Core, using MQTT over TLS, certificate-based authentication, and device state synchronization.
Strong understanding of embedded systems, hardware interfaces, technical specifications, and low-level debugging, with the ability to investigate complex issues across hardware, firmware, wireless, and cloud layers.
Experience working with sensors, actuators, and peripherals such as RFID readers, accelerometers, motion sensors, LEDs, and pumps.
Proven ability to work directly with clients and stakeholders to clarify requirements, estimate effort, explain technical trade-offs, and maintain confidence in project delivery.
Strong problem-solving, analytical, planning, and prioritization skills, combined with clear written and verbal communication.
Ability to take ownership of complex projects, establish structure and technical standards, adapt to changing requirements, and collaborate effectively in a distributed team environment.
Must reside in Canada and have valid authorization to work in Canada. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Preferred qualifications
Experience leading a connected product from initial concept through mass production.
Background in a technology consultancy or product development firm, ideally delivering multiple products or client projects.
Contributions to open-source ESP-IDF or Nordic nRF Connect SDK projects, or experience with Nordic nRF-series platforms.
Familiarity with additional connectivity protocols, including Thread, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and BLE Mesh.
Hands-on experience with hardware debugging tools, including JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and protocol sniffers.
Experience building firmware CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and device automation.