Lead Firmware Engineer

Humanoid; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Paid time off 30+ days

Private healthcare

Pension 8%

Free meals in-office

Frontier work environment

Direct leadership access

Job summary

Humanoid in London is seeking a Lead Firmware Engineer to drive firmware development for our humanoid platform. You will lead hands-on embedded software across microcontrollers, RTOS, and real-time control, collaborating with hardware and systems teams to deliver high-performance motion and balance.

You’ll mentor junior engineers, design robust drivers, and ensure security and reliability. The role offers ownership from day one and a chance to shape the future of robotics at scale.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in embedded systems development, preferably in robotics.
• Strong C and C++ skills for microcontrollers with RTOS experience.
• Hands-on experience with ARM Cortex, STM32, or similar.
• Familiarity with UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet.
• Ability to lead and mentor engineering team.
• Experience with debugging tools like oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
• Experience with Git, CI/CD, and Agile methodologies.
• Understanding of control systems, kinematics, and motion algorithms.
• Interest in Rust for embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and debug firmware for humanoid robots, focusing on motion control, stabilization, sensor integration and ethernet-based communication.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to design seamless integration of microcontrollers and peripherals.
• Design and implement drivers for motors, sensors, and communication protocols.
• Optimize firmware for performance, reliability, and power efficiency.
• Develop and test real-time control algorithms for robotic movement and balance.
• Lead and mentor junior engineers, conducting code reviews and promoting best practices.
• Ensure robust security and fail-safe mechanisms in embedded systems.
• Maintain technical documentation and manage version control of firmware.

Skills

C/C++

RTOS

ARM Cortex

Embedded systems

Git CI/CD

Agile methodologies

Control systems

Rust (embedded)

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND-01 Alpha - our rapidly developed humanoid platform now running in real industrial pilots - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.

About the Role

As a Lead Firmware Engineer on the Hardware team based in London, you will play a critical role in developing the firmware that powers our next generation of humanoid robots. This is a hands-on technical leadership role at the intersection of robotics, embedded systems, and real-time control, building the software that enables advanced motion, balance, and interaction with complex environments. You’ll collaborate closely with hardware and systems teams to integrate microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators, while designing robust, high-performance firmware and real-time algorithms.

What You'll Do

• Develop and debug firmware for humanoid robots, focusing on motion control, stabilization, sensor integration and ethernet-based communication.

• Collaborate with hardware teams to design seamless integration of microcontrollers and peripherals.

• Design and implement drivers for motors, sensors, and communication protocols.

• Optimize firmware for performance, reliability, and power efficiency.

• Develop and test real-time control algorithms for robotic movement and balance.

• Lead and mentor junior engineers, conducting code reviews and promoting best practices.

• Ensure robust security and fail-safe mechanisms in embedded systems.

• Maintain technical documentation and manage version control of firmware.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of experience in embedded systems development, preferably in robotics.

• Strong C and C++ skills aimed at microcontrollers, with experience in various RTOS environments (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr) as well as bare-metal systems.

• Hands-on experience with ARM Cortex, STM32, or similar platforms.

• Familiarity with communication protocols such as UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, and Ethernet.

• The ability to lead and mentor other engineering team members.

• Experience with debugging tools like oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.

• Working knowledge of Git, CI/CD, and Agile methodologies.

• Strong understanding of control systems, kinematics, and motion algorithms.

• Experience with and/or an interest in using Rust for embedded systems

What We Offer

• Competitive equity: stock options with meaningful upside as we scale.

• 30+ paid days off, including 23 days of annual leave, all UK bank holidays, and additional company closure days (including Christmas-NewYear shutdown).

• Private healthcare, including virtual and in-person care.

• Pension scheme with 8% total contribution (5% employee, 3% employer) on full earnings.

• Free daily breakfast, catered lunch, and snacks in-office.

• Work at the frontier - collaborate daily with world-class engineers, researchers, and product experts building the next generation of AI and humanoid robotics.

• Real ownership - direct access to founding leadership, meaningful input on product direction, and the ability to drive key initiatives from day one.