Embedded System Engineer

Paradigm Nat'l; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Paradigm Nat’l is seeking a Senior Electrical Embedded Power & Performance Engineer in Seattle with a strong background in embedded firmware, electrical engineering, and system-level power characterization. This hardware-focused role emphasizes measurements and debugging to optimize power and performance across product lifecycles.

The candidate will work with schematics, lab equipment, and firmware/software logs, collaborating with multiple engineering teams to resolve power-related issues and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of experience developing embedded systems with electrical engineering, embedded firmware, and system software.
• Strong background in electrical laboratory testing and hardware debugging, including reading schematics, power rail analysis, instrument-based measurements.

Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on power measurement and debugging using lab equipment.
• Analyze schematics to understand power architecture and sequencing.
• Develop test plans and matrices for different operating modes and workloads.
• Correlate electrical measurements with firmware and software behavior to diagnose issues.
• Collaborate with electrical, hardware, firmware, and software teams to optimize power and performance.

Skills

Embedded firmware

Power measurement

Hardware debugging

System-level power optimization

Lab work

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Embedded Systems

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Power analyzers

Electronic loads

Schematic interpretation

Job description

Senior Electrical Embedded Power & Performance Engineer- 2 openings

Onsite in Seattle, WA area

Onsite in San Francisco Bay area

Job Overview

We are seeking a Senior Embedded Power & Performance Engineer with a strong background in embedded firmware, electrical engineering, and system-level power characterization. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys hands-on laboratory work, hardware debugging, and analyzing power behavior on complex embedded platforms.

This is a hardware-focused position that emphasizes electrical measurements, embedded firmware, and system-level power optimization. While familiarity with Linux and Android is required, the primary focus is not Android framework development. Instead, the role centers on understanding how hardware, firmware, and system software interact to influence real-world power consumption and performance.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working with product schematics, power delivery networks, laboratory instrumentation, embedded firmware, and system software logs to identify, analyze, and resolve power-related issues. You will collaborate closely with electrical, hardware, firmware, and software engineering teams to optimize system performance throughout the product development lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Electrical Power Measurement & Debug (Primary Focus)

• Perform hands-on power measurement and debugging activities, including current, voltage, power rail, and transient analysis using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, electronic loads, and laboratory power supplies.
• Analyze electrical schematics to understand power architecture, sequencing, and power delivery behavior.
• Develop and execute comprehensive test plans and structured test matrices covering operating modes, workloads, environmental conditions, and system power states.
• Diagnose power anomalies by correlating electrical measurements with firmware behavior, software activity, thermal response, and overall system performance.
• Investigate unexpected power consumption, instability, excessive current draw, and peak power events to determine root causes and recommend corrective actions.

Embedded Firmware & System Software

• Perform first-level investigation of firmware and software contributors to power and performance issues.
• Debug and analyze power behavior across:
• Embedded firmware (MCU and peripheral firmware)
• Linux kernel and device drivers
• Android power management layers and system services when required
• Understand CPU frequency governors, idle states, suspend/resume behavior, and firmware-controlled power management features.
• Collaborate closely with firmware and platform software teams to ensure hardware power intent is accurately reflected in software implementation.

Power Modeling & Analysis

• Interpret and evaluate system power models, power budgets, and expected power behavior.
• Compare measured laboratory data with predicted power models and identify discrepancies.
• Present technical findings and recommendations clearly to electrical, hardware, firmware, and software engineering teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a technical liaison between electrical engineering, hardware design, firmware development, and system software teams.
• Support platform bring-up, hardware characterization, validation testing, and customer issue investigations.
• Contribute recommendations that improve power efficiency, design-for-testability, and overall product robustness.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience developing embedded systems with a combination of electrical engineering, embedded firmware, and system software experience.
• Strong background in electrical laboratory testing and hardware debugging, including:
• Reading and interpreting electrical schematics
• Power rail analysis
• Instrument-based electrical measurements
• Correlating electrical measurements with system behavior
• Hands-on experience developing embedded firmware for microcontrollers, SoCs, bootloaders, or low-level device drivers.
• Working knowledge of Linux and/or Android system software sufficient to:
• Investigate power and performance issues
• Interpret system logs, traces, and power states
• Proven ability to independently develop test strategies, create structured test matrices, and drive technical investigations with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to solve complex problems using incomplete or ambiguous data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with Qualcomm Snapdragon or similar complex SoC platforms.
• Familiarity with system-level power measurement frameworks.
• Experience evaluating and validating power models and power budgets.
• Understanding of Android power management and thermal frameworks.
• Experience supporting EVT, DVT, manufacturing validation, or laboratory power characterization.
• Experience developing software for RTOS or bare-metal embedded systems.

Desired Skills & Attributes

• Excellent understanding of embedded hardware and firmware interaction.
• Ability to communicate technical findings across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Self-motivated with a proactive approach to problem solving.
• Comfortable managing multiple technical priorities in a fast-paced development environment.
• Adaptable and eager to learn new technologies, tools, and methodologies.
• Strong ownership, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.