Staff Software Developer, Embedded Systems/Firmware

Google; Southwestern Ontario; On-site; CAD 216,000 - 222,000; Full time

Job summary

Google’s Waterloo-based team is seeking a Staff Software Developer focusing on embedded systems and firmware. You will lead a team of embedded developers, own hardware‑software integration, and influence long‑term architecture of wearable/MCU platforms.

Responsibilities include defining roadmaps, bootloaders, HALs, and cross‑functional collaboration across hardware, product, and UX. The role requires strong technical leadership, 8+ years of software development, and hands‑on experience with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 3 years of experience with embedded operating systems.
• 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role.
• 2 years of experience in a people management or team leadership role.

Responsibilities

• Define multi‑quarter technical roadmaps and partner with cross‑functional leads to align software outcomes with broader XR organizational goals.
• Lead the bring‑up of multiprocessor MCU and SoC‑based hardware reference platforms, owning end‑to‑end delivery measured through system stability milestones.
• Lead development and maintenance of bootloaders, hardware abstraction layers (HALs), and drivers for core components like chargers, fuel gauges, touchpads, and environmental sensors.
• Manage a team of embedded developers, fostering a strong developing culture of psychological safety, technical excellence, and continuous growth.
• Make significant individual contributions by creating/reviewing designs, writing critical‑path code, and executing data‑driven optimizations to the platform.

Skills

Embedded systems

Technical leadership

People management

Software development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Staff Software Developer, Embedded Systems/Firmware

Google – Waterloo, ON, Canada

Advanced

Experience owning outcomes and decision making, solving ambiguous problems and influencing stakeholders; deep expertise in domain.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 3 years of experience with embedded operating systems.
• 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role.
• 2 years of experience in a people management or team leadership role.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.
• Proficiency in C or C++.
• Knowledge of Android platform development or Microcontroller Unit (MCU) Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) systems.
• Excellent communication and people management skills, with the ability to work effectively across cross‑functional teams.
• Excellent problem‑solving, attention to detail, and project management skills with the ability to drive results.

About the job

Google's software developers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for software developers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software developer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast‑paced business grow and evolve. We need our software developers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

With your technical expertise you will manage project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables. You will design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and enhance software solutions.

As a Staff Software Developer for this team, you will sit at the intersection of hardware and software, defining how the next generation of wearable computing comes to life. Leading a team of embedded developers in Waterloo, you will solve ambitious technical challenges on resource‑constrained, multi‑processor Android and MCU‑based platforms. You will just manage a team; you will 'reduce chaos' by clarifying technical direction and influencing the long‑term architecture of the Glasses platform. In this role, you will balance deep technical contributions with the growth and career development of your developers.

The Google Augmented Reality team is a group of experts tasked with building the foundations for great immersive computing and building helpful, delightful user experiences. We’re focused on making immersive computing accessible to billions of people through mobile devices, and our scope continues to grow and evolve. Individual pay is determined by factors including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Canada: $216,000 - $222,000 (CAD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Define multi‑quarter technical roadmaps and partner with cross‑functional leads (Hardware, Product, UX) to align software outcomes with broader XR organizational goals.
• Lead the bring‑up of multiprocessor MCU and SoC‑based hardware reference platforms, owning end‑to‑end delivery measured through system stability milestones.
• Lead development and maintenance of bootloaders, hardware abstraction layers (HALs), and drivers for core components like chargers, fuel gauges, touchpads, and environmental sensors.
• Manage a team of embedded developers, fostering a strong developing culture of psychological safety, technical excellence, and continuous growth.
• Make significant individual contributions by creating/reviewing designs, writing critical‑path code, and executing data‑driven optimizations to the platform.

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