Staff Software Developer, Embedded Systems/Firmware

Socket.dev; Southwestern Ontario; On-site; CAD 216,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

Google is seeking a Staff Software Developer for its wearable/XR initiatives based in Canada. You will lead embedded software efforts at the intersection of hardware and software, guiding multi-processor platforms for next-generation wearables.

You will drive technical direction, coordinate across hardware, product, and UX teams, and contribute significant hands-on engineering leadership and innovation.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Define multi-quarter technical roadmaps and align software outcomes with cross-functional goals.
• Lead bring-up of multiprocessor MCU/SoC hardware reference platforms and end-to-end delivery.
• Develop and maintain bootloaders, HALs, and drivers for core components like chargers and sensors.
• Manage embedded developers, fostering a culture of psychological safety and technical excellence.
• Contribute through design reviews, critical-path code, and data-driven platform optimizations.

Skills

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Software development experience

Embedded operating systems

Technical leadership

People management / team leadership

Education

Master's degree or PhD in computer science

Job description

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 problem-solving, attention to detail, and project management skills with the ability to drive results.


• Excellent communication and people management skills, with the ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams.

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 technical issues on resource-constrained, multi-processor Android and MCU-based platforms.

You will "reduce chaos" by clarifying technical direction and influencing the architecture of the Glasses platform. 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: $216000 - $221000 (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.