Controls Firmware Engineer, Grid Compliance

Insight Global; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Global is seeking a Controls Firmware Engineer to design and develop embedded firmware for inverter-based energy products. You will work closely with electrical and validation teams to translate requirements into robust firmware, validating it against hardware and grid conditions.

The role emphasizes hands-on development, testing, and documentation of software architecture and testing results, with collaboration across engineering teams to ensure system validation and grid compliance.

Qualifications

• Experience embedded firmware for power electronics, inverters or energy systems.
• Ability to develop firmware from scratch rather than modifying test scripts.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop validation and hardware testing.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and debug firmware and controls for inverter-based power electronics.
• Write low-level and embedded software that directly controls hardware.
• Develop control behavior for voltage, frequency, power and grid conditions.

Skills

Embedded C

Rust

Python

Hardware interaction

Power electronics

Grid familiarity

Firmware from scratch

Inverter/energy systems

Job description

Job Description

We’re looking for a Controls Firmware Engineer to develop embedded controls for next‑generation energy and power electronics products. You’ll work directly with physical hardware, writing and validating software that controls how inverter‑based systems respond to changing electrical and grid conditions.This role sits at the intersection of embedded software, controls, and power electronics. You’ll partner closely with electrical, validation, and systems engineers to take control functionality from initial implementation through hardware testing and product validation.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, and debug firmware and controls for inverter‑based power electronics and energy products.
• Write low‑level and embedded software that directly controls physical hardware.
• Develop control behavior for changing voltage, frequency, power, and grid conditions.
• Implement and tune control algorithms for systems that source, store, and deliver electrical power.
• Test firmware directly against physical hardware and investigate interactions between software, controls, and power electronics.
• Analyze electrical measurements and system behavior to identify firmware and control issues.
• Develop software and tools that support firmware development, testing, and validation.
• Partner closely with validation and electrical engineering teams to take functionality from development through system validation.
• Support grid‑compliance requirements by translating system requirements into robust firmware and control behavior.
• Clearly document software architecture, technical decisions, testing results, and known limitations.

Skills and Requirements

• Strong understanding of power electronics and/or electrical engineering fundamentals.
• Professional or substantial hands‑on programming experience in C, Rust, Python, or comparable languages.
• Experience writing software that interacts with or controls physical hardware.
• Understanding of voltage, current, frequency, power, and related electrical concepts.
• Ability to develop software from scratch rather than exclusively modifying existing test scripts or frameworks.
• Experience developing controls or firmware for inverters, battery systems, solar systems, EV charging, motor drives, or other power electronics.
• Familiarity with grid‑connected energy products and grid‑compliance requirements.
• Personal engineering projects, prototypes, demos, or self‑built systems demonstrating hands‑on firmware/electronics ability.
• Experience taking controls from initial development through hardware‑in‑the‑loop or physical hardware validation.

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [e-mail].