Technical Architect – Embedded

Softdel; Pune District; On-site; INR 4,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Softdel in Pune is seeking an experienced Technical Architect – Embedded Systems to lead architecture and design for complex embedded product programs. You will define direction across hardware-software co-design, RTOS-based firmware, and edge-level integration, collaborating with hardware engineers, cloud architects, and customer teams.

The role emphasizes secure, high-performance firmware for industrial applications with opportunities to explore lightweight AI/ML at the edge and automated

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of hands-on embedded systems development with architecture exposure.
• Strong proficiency in Embedded C/C++ for real-time, memory-constrained environments.
• Deep RTOS experience with FreeRTOS and/or Zephyr; IPC, scheduling, low-power design.
• Proven hardware bring-up, BSP development, and peripheral driver implementation.
• Expertise in UART/SPI/I2C and network protocols like Ethernet, MQTT, BACnet, Modbus.
• Secure embedded development practices: secure boot, OTA updates, TLS.
• Proficiency with JTAG/SWD, GDB, and embedded toolchains (Keil, IAR, GCC/CMake).
• Track record of mentoring teams and driving multi-team architecture decisions.

Responsibilities

• Define and own embedded architecture and technical roadmap for customer programs.
• Lead hardware-software co-design balancing performance, power, BOM, and RT constraints.
• Develop detailed system specifications: interfaces, boot, updates, IPC.
• Architect secure, reliable firmware for industrial/building automation use cases.
• Evaluate protocol stacks (UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, MQTT, Modbus, BACnet).
• Provide technical mentorship and code reviews across firmware teams.
• Drive performance analysis, memory optimization, and real-time profiling.
• Lead architecture reviews and customer discussions aligned with standards.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

RTOS Expertise

Embedded Linux

Hardware bring-up

MCU/MPU selection

Networking protocols

Security in embedded

Debugging tools

Education

B.E./B.Tech./M.Tech in EC/ETC/CS/EE

Tools

Keil

IAR

GCC / CMake

OpenOCD

Yocto / Buildroot

JTAG/SWD

GDB

CI Toolchains

Job description

Designation: Technical Architect – Embedded Systems

Skills: C/C++, FreeRTOS, Zephyr RTOS, Embedded Linux, Python

Qualification: B.E / B.Tech / M.Tech – EC, E&TC, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent

Location: Pune

Experience: 10 - 15 Years

Role overview

We are seeking an experienced Technical Architect – Embedded Systems to lead architecture and design decisions for complex embedded product programs. You will define technical direction across hardware-software co-design, RTOS-based firmware platforms, communication protocol stacks, and edge-level system integration, working closely with hardware engineers, cloud architects, and customer engineering teams to deliver robust, production-grade embedded products.This role sits at the intersection of embedded engineering excellence and emerging edge intelligence, requiring both deep firmware expertise and an informed perspective on where AI/ML at the edge creates real product value.

Architecture & Technical Direction

• Define and own the overall embedded systems architecture and technical roadmap for customer engagements, covering hardware selection, software frameworks, RTOS/Linux strategy, and communication stacks.
• Lead hardware-software co-design decisions, balancing performance, power, BOM cost, and real-time constraints across MCU/MPU platforms.
• Develop detailed system specifications including hardware interfaces, software layering, boot and update mechanisms, and inter-processor communication.
• Architect secure, reliable, and resource-optimized firmware for constrained embedded platforms targeting industrial and building automation use cases.
• Evaluate and select appropriate communication protocol stacks – UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, CAN, RS-485, BACnet, Modbus, and MQTT – based on system requirements.

Engineering Leadership

• Provide sustained technical mentorship and code review oversight to embedded firmware development teams throughout the project lifecycle.
• Conduct system-level performance analysis, real-time response profiling, and memory optimization across RTOS-based embedded systems.
• Drive implementation of secure embedded development practices – secure boot, firmware signing, encrypted communication, and OTA update mechanisms.
• Lead or participate in architecture reviews, design reviews, and technical customer discussions, ensuring alignment with project goals and Softdel's engineering standards.
• Act as a technical liaison between internal development teams and customers, translating complex embedded constraints into actionable product decisions.

Edge Intelligence Integration

• Identify and architect opportunities to deploy lightweight AI/ML inference at the edge, such as TinyML-based anomaly detection, predictive maintenance triggers, or sensor data preprocessing, on resource-constrained MCU/MPU platforms.
• Evaluate and apply model quantization, pruning, and optimization techniques to deploy inference models within firmware memory and compute constraints.
• Define the data pipeline from edge sensor acquisition through local inference and cloud telemetry reporting, ensuring low-latency and low-power operation.

Delivery & Risk Management

• Collaborate with project managers to define milestones, resource needs, and technical delivery plans for embedded systems programs.
• Proactively identify technical risks, constraint violations, and integration challenges and drive mitigation strategies before they impact delivery.
• Contribute to technical documentation including architectural diagrams, hardware-software interface specifications, and design decision records.
• Perform feasibility assessments for new programs, evaluating platform choices, toolchain compatibility, and regulatory requirements.

Technology Stack

• C / C++
• FreeRTOS
• Zephyr RTOS
• Linux (Embedded)
• Python (Scripting)
• ARM Cortex-M/A
• STM32 / NXP / TI
• UART / SPI / I2C
• CAN / RS-485
• Ethernet / TCP-IP
• BACnet / Modbus
• MQTT / CoAP
• Wi-Fi / BLE / Zigbee
• OPC-UA
• DALI / KNX
• TinyML / TF Lite
• JTAG / SWD Debug
• GDB / OpenOCD
• CMake / Yocto
• Git / CI Toolchains

Required Qualifications

• Embedded Experience: 10-15 years of hands-on embedded systems development with 5+ years in architecture roles for production-grade embedded products.
• Programming: Strong proficiency in Embedded C and C++; disciplined coding practices for real-time, safety-aware, and memory-constrained environments.
• RTOS Expertise: In-depth experience with FreeRTOS and/or Zephyr; task scheduling, IPC, synchronization, interrupt management, and low-power design.
• Hardware Platforms: Proven experience with MCU/MPU selection, bring-up, BSP development, and peripheral driver implementation (ARM Cortex-M/A preferred).
• Communication Protocols: Expertise in low-level peripheral protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN) and network/application‑layer protocols (Ethernet, MQTT, BACnet, Modbus).
• Security: Experience implementing secure embedded development – secure boot, encrypted OTA updates, firmware signing, TLS on constrained devices.
• Debugging & Tools: Proficiency with JTAG/SWD debug probes, logic analyzers, GDB, and embedded development toolchains (Keil, IAR, GCC/CMake).
• Leadership: Demonstrated track record of mentoring technical teams and driving architecture decisions across multi‑team embedded programs.

Good to Have

• Domain exposure to building automation, industrial IoT, or smart energy systems – familiarity with BACnet, Modbus, KNX, DALI, or OPC‑UA is a strong plus.
• Experience with Linux-based embedded platforms and Yocto/Buildroot-based BSP customization for MPU‑class devices.
• Hands‑on experience with TinyML frameworks (TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers, Edge Impulse) for on‑device inference on MCU platforms.
• Experience in safety‑critical embedded development – ISO 26262 (automotive), or IEC 62443 (industrial security) compliance.
• Wireless protocol stack experience – BLE, Wi‑Fi, Zigbee, Wi‑SUN, Thread, or cellular (LTE‑M / NB‑IoT) for IoT connectivity.