Lead Software Engineer – Linux

Softdel; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,400,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Softdel is seeking a Lead Firmware Engineer to drive the design and development of next‑gen embedded products. You will own the full firmware stack from bootloader to application, work with embedded Linux, BSP, RTOS, and secure OTA, and lead architectural decisions.

You will mentor juniors, coordinate with hardware, cloud, QA, and product teams, and ensure robust wireless protocols (BLE, Wi‑Fi, Zigbee) and cybersecurity hardening.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics, Embedded Systems, CS, or related field.
• 8+ years of work experience in embedded firmware development.
• Strong knowledge of Embedded Linux, BSP, bootloader, kernel, and drivers.
• Experience with BLE, Wi‑Fi, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, MQTT protocols.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end firmware architecture and development for embedded Linux & RTOS products.
• Develop BSPs, device drivers, bootloaders, and kernel customizations.
• Work with Yocto and Debian-based distributions for embedded platforms.
• Design secure firmware with Secure Boot, OTA updates, and device security hardening.
• Collaborate with hardware, cloud, QA, and product teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Mentor junior engineers, drive code reviews, and enforce CI/CD practices.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

Embedded Linux

BLE

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics/Embedded Systems/CS/Telecommunications

Tools

Yocto

Debian-based

FreeRTOS

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Designation: Lead Firmware Engineer

Skills: Embedded C/C++, Embedded Linux, BLE

Qualification: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics, Embedded Systems, Computer Science, Telecommunications, or related field

Location: Not specified

Experience: 8+ Years

Role overview

We are looking for an experienced and technically strong Lead Firmware Engineer to drive the design and development of next-generation embedded and connected products. The ideal candidate should possess deep expertise in Embedded Linux, BSP development, RTOS-based systems, wireless communication protocols, and secure firmware architecture.The role demands strong ownership across the complete embedded software stack including bootloader, kernel, BSP, middleware, application layer, OTA framework, and device security. Candidate should be comfortable leading technical discussions, mentoring teams, and working closely with hardware, cloud, and product engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end firmware architecture and development for embedded Linux and RTOS-based products.
• Develop and maintain Board Support Packages (BSP), device drivers, bootloaders, and kernel customizations.
• Work on Linux distributions such as Yocto and Debian for embedded platforms.
• Design and develop application-layer firmware and middleware services for connected devices.
• Implement and optimize wireless communication protocols such as BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, MQTT, and related IoT protocols.
• Develop secure firmware solutions including Secure Boot, OTA updates, firmware encryption, authentication, and cybersecurity hardening.
• Work on FreeRTOS-based embedded systems and real-time application development.
• Perform system bring-up, debugging, performance optimization, and root cause analysis on embedded platforms.
• Collaborate with hardware, cloud, QA, and product teams for system integration and product releases.
• Drive technical reviews, coding standards, architecture decisions, and mentoring of junior engineers.
• Ensure firmware quality through unit testing, code reviews, CI/CD integration, and automated validation.
• Participate in customer discussions, technical planning, and effort estimations where required.

Mandatory Skills

• Strong expertise in Embedded C/C++ programming.
• Hands-on experience in Embedded Linux development.
• Strong knowledge of BSP, bootloader, kernel, and driver development.
• Experience working with Yocto and Debian-based embedded systems.
• Experience with FreeRTOS and real-time embedded application development.
• Strong understanding of OTA firmware upgrade mechanisms and Secure Boot implementation.
• Experience with wireless and IoT protocols such as BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, MQTT, etc.
• Good understanding of hardware interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, USB, Ethernet, and GPIO.
• Experience with debugging tools, JTAG, logic analyzers, and embedded troubleshooting techniques.
• Knowledge of secure firmware development practices and cybersecurity concepts.
• Experience with Git, build systems, and CI/CD workflows.

Additional Advantage

• Experience with OpenWrt or other Linux networking platforms.
• Exposure to edge computing or gateway development.
• Knowledge of cloud connectivity frameworks and IoT device management.
• Familiarity with containerization technologies such as Docker.
• Experience working with certification requirements for wireless/IoT products.