Embedded Systems Engineer Hardware and Firmware

HPS Lab Designs Pvt Ltd; Navi Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Ajjas is hiring an embedded systems engineer to own hardware design and firmware end-to-end. You will work hands-on on PCB schematics, layouts, BOM decisions, and production readiness for connected devices in an on-site Navi Mumbai setting.

You will develop firmware in C/C++ on ARM Cortex-M, work with an RTOS, and enable CAN/CAN-FD, GSM/LTE, and GNSS integrations for real-world IoT products.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated hands-on experience in embedded systems with hardware design and firmware shipped.
• Proven end-to-end PCB ownership: schematic design, PCB layout, fabrication, bring-up, and iteration.
• Proficiency in PCB design using Altium Designer or KiCad.
• Strong embedded C/C++ firmware development on ARM Cortex-M or similar.
• Experience with RTOS-based development (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar).
• Experience with CAN/CAN-FD protocols.
• Sensor interfacing via I2C, SPI, UART, RS485, and one-wire.
• GSM/LTE cellular modules and GNSS receivers experience.
• Power management and low-power optimization expertise.
• Ability to read datasheets, evaluate components, and make BOM decisions.
• Hands-on experience shipping commercial IoT products with field deployment.
• Lab equipment usage for board bring-up and debugging.
• Proficiency with AI tools for engineering decisions (Claude/ChatGPT) and AI-assisted firmware work (Cursor/Copilot).

Responsibilities

• Own hardware design and PCB layout for new product SKUs and revisions.
• Select components and define BOMs based on cost, availability, and performance.
• Design and integrate sensor interfaces and power-management circuits.
• Collaborate with testing to validate prototypes and move designs to production.
• Coordinate with PCB fabricators on DFM, assembly, and production issues.
• Develop and maintain firmware in C/C++ on ARM MCUs with an RTOS.
• Implement OTA/DFU mechanisms and CAN/CAN-FD protocol stacks.
• Document design decisions, BOMs, firmware changes, and integrations.
• Support procurement with technical specifications and alternate parts.

Skills

Embedded systems design

End-to-end PCB ownership

C/C++ firmware development

RTOS development

CAN / CAN-FD protocols

Sensor interfacing (I2C/SPI/UART/RS485

Power management / low-power design

GSM/LTE modules

GNSS receivers

BOM decisions

AI tools for engineering

AI-assisted firmware development

Lab equipment usage

Automotive telematics / connected-veh.

Tools

Altium Designer

KiCad

CAN-CAN-FD interfaces

Job description

AJJAS HPS LAB DESIGNS PVT. LTD.

Job Description: Embedded Systems Engineer Hardware & Firmware

Role: Embedded Systems Engineer Hardware & Firmware

Company: Ajjas (HPS Lab Designs Pvt. Ltd.)

Location:Navi Mumbai (on-site)

Experience:Hands-on. Youve designed boards and written firmware that shipped

Reporting to:Co-founder

Job Type:Full-time

About Ajjas

Ajjas is a full-stack AIoT design house building connected safety and intelligence products for vehicles, assets, and infrastructure. We are the market leader on Amazon and Flipkart for two-wheeler safety devices (GPS tracking, accident detection - Patent No. 540443, SOS alerts, remote lock). Our B2B verticals span EV OEM telemetry, battery manufacturer IoT, NBFC/vehicle finance, cold chain/FMCG asset monitoring, fleet telematics, and weather/AWS data logging.

We design our own hardware, write our own firmware (picoOS - a proprietary RTOS), and run our own cloud backend. Our tech stack includes CAN 2.0B/CAN-FD, eUICC/eSIM, AES-256 encryption, BLE, and self-managed microservices on Indian servers.

We are hiring an embedded engineer who can own hardware design and firmware development end-to-end. This is a hands-on, build-things role - not a management, architecture-only, or firmware-only position.

Critical Role Requirement - End-to-End PCB Ownership

This is the most important requirement for the role. The candidate must have personally designed complete embedded PCBs, not merely integrated firmware with boards designed by another hardware team.

Commercial IoT / connected-device experience is also non-negotiable. We need someone who has worked on real connected products that operate in the field, not only standalone embedded systems or academic/personal IoT prototypes.

• Personally created complete PCB schematics and PCB layouts for embedded products.
• Personally selected key components and made BOM decisions using datasheets, electrical requirements, cost, availability, and performance.
• Taken at least one personally designed PCB through fabrication, assembly, board bring-up, debugging, and design iteration.
• Been able to explain specific Rev-A failures, how they were debugged, and what was changed in the next revision.
• Strong preference for candidates whose boards have reached production or field deployment.

PCB exposure alone is not sufficient. Reviewing another engineer's schematic, modifying an existing board, or designing only a small subsection such as a power supply or sensor interface does not count as end-to-end PCB ownership for this role.

What You Will Do

Hardware Design

• Own PCB schematic design and layout for new product SKUs and revisions of existing products.
• Select components and define BOMs - evaluating MCUs, sensors, power management ICs, GNSS/GSM modules, CAN transceivers, and passives for cost, availability, and performance.
• Design and integrate sensor interfaces: temperature (NTC, one-wire, RS485), humidity, wind speed, rain gauge, IMU/accelerometer.
• Design relay and control circuitry for applications like compressor controllers (cold chain).
• Design power-supply sections and make practical decisions on grounding, decoupling, protection, thermal considerations, trace widths, and critical routing.
• Work with the testing team to validate prototypes, perform board bring-up, debug hardware issues, and iterate to production-ready designs.
• Work with PCB fabricators / EMS partners on DFM, assembly, and production issues as required.
• Manage the full cycle from schematic to prototype to production-ready board.

Firmware Development

• Write, maintain, and extend firmware in C/C++ on ARM Cortex-M and similar MCUs.
• Work with our existing RTOS (picoOS) - adding new peripheral drivers, sensor integrations, and communication protocols.
• Implement and maintain CAN/CAN-FD protocol stacks for vehicle and BMS integrations.
• Handle OTA/DFU firmware update mechanisms for devices deployed in the field.
• Implement power management, sleep modes, and battery optimisation for field-deployed IoT devices.
• Debug device-side issues: sensor data anomalies, communication failures, field edge cases.

Collaboration & Documentation

• Work closely with the software team to define firmware-to-server data protocols and ensure clean handoffs between device and backend.
• Document every design decision, schematic, BOM, firmware architecture change, and integration. If it is not documented, it did not happen.
• Participate in weekly team meetings and proactively share progress, blockers, and technical context with the broader team.
• Support procurement with technical specifications and alternate-part recommendations.

What We Are Looking For

Must have

• Demonstrated hands-on experience in embedded systems - both hardware design and firmware development. We care about what you have personally built and shipped, not how many years you have spent.
• Proven end-to-end PCB ownership: complete schematic design, PCB layout, fabrication/assembly, board bring-up, debugging, and iteration.
• Proficiency in PCB schematic design and layout using Altium Designer, KiCad, or equivalent.
• Strong embedded C/C++ firmware development skills on ARM Cortex-M or similar architectures.
• Experience with RTOS-based development (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or custom RTOS).
• Working experience with CAN / CAN-FD protocols.
• Hands-on experience interfacing sensors over I2C, SPI, UART, RS485, and one-wire.
• Experience with GSM/LTE cellular modules and GNSS receivers.
• Solid understanding of power supply design, battery management, and low-power optimisation.
• Ability to read datasheets, evaluate components, and make BOM decisions independently.
• Hands-on experience developing and shipping commercial IoT / connected-device products, including embedded hardware, firmware, communication interfaces, and field deployment. Academic/personal IoT projects or development-board integration alone are not sufficient for this role.
• Hands-on use of lab equipment for board bring-up and debugging, including oscilloscope, multimeter, bench power supply, logic analyser, or similar tools.
• Proficiency in using AI tools for engineering work. This is not optional - it is core to how we work at Ajjas. Must-have AI skills:
• AI reasoning and research: Claude and/or ChatGPT - for schematic review, datasheet analysis, protocol debugging, component selection, and technical decision-making.
• AI-assisted firmware development: Cursor (AI-native IDE) and/or GitHub Copilot - for writing, editing, and refactoring embedded C/C++ code with AI inline assistance.

Strongly preferred

• Experience specifically in automotive telematics / connected-vehicle products.
• Familiarity with OBD-II protocols and vehicle data.
• Experience with BLE and BMS (Battery Management System) integrations.
• Knowledge of OTA/DFU mechanisms for field-deployed devices.
• Exposure to EMI/EMC considerations and regulatory compliance (BIS, CE).
• Experience taking a product from prototype through production and field deployment.
• Experience with AI-assisted PCB/EDA tools - any of the following:
• Flux AI - cloud-native PCB design with AI-driven layout and automation.
• Quilter AI - autonomous PCB routing and layout generation.
• ProtoFlow - AI-assisted schematic capture (free, exports to KiCad).
• Cadence Allegro X or Altium AI features - AI-driven placement, DRC, and routing assistance.
• Experience using Claude Code or similar agentic AI tools for complex, multi-file firmware tasks and architectural refactoring.

Why Ajjas

• You will own the hardware and firmware layer of a product line that is already market-leading in B2C and expanding into B2B.
• You will work with a lean, high-ownership team where your decisions directly shape the product.
• Real products in the market, real customers, real revenue - not a pre-product startup.
• Patented technology (accident detection) and a proprietary RTOS - technically interesting problems.
• Opportunity to define and build new product SKUs across cold chain, weather monitoring, EV/BMS, and fleet telematics.

Compensation bracket: 15-30 LPA, based on what you have built and what you bring.