Embedded Systems Engineer

Tractable; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Tractable is seeking an Embedded Systems Engineer to own the device-side software/firmware for LUMA, a drive-through vehicle inspection scanner. You will work at the intersection of embedded software, hardware integration and sensor data processing, enabling new measurement capabilities and reliable operation.

You’ll own camera and sensor stacks, align timing and synchronization, develop signal processing pipelines, and drive production-ready software through lab and field deployments.

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering fundamentals including debugging, testing and reliability.
• Experience integrating sensors/devices in real-world systems.
• Comfort working close to hardware: bring-up, wiring and troubleshooting.
• Ability to take ambiguous requirements and ship maintainable systems.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and improve camera control software (triggering, timing, health monitoring, error recovery).
• Maintain and improve sensor control software (presence/distance/measurement sensors, calibration, fault handling).
• Develop new scanner capabilities.
• Implement signal processing pipelines (e.g., laser triangulation to 2D depth maps; stereo depth post-processing; filtering/denoising; coordinate transforms).
• Prototype quickly, then harden implementations to production-grade reliability.
• Support system integration and deployments: bring up new modules, validate in lab/on-vehicle, debug issues, ship fixes.

Skills

Software fundamentals

Sensor integration

Hardware bring-up

Ambiguity to production

Tools

Docker

Job description

Why Tractable?

We combine world‑class AI research with real‑world applications that make a difference. At Tractable, you’ll collaborate with brilliant minds, work on transformative projects, and contribute to technology that helps people when they need it most.

About the Role

We’re building LUMA, a drive‑through vehicle inspection scanner that combines multi‑camera capture, active illumination, and multiple sensor modalities to generate high‑fidelity vehicle imagery and measurements. We’re looking for an Embedded Systems Engineer to own and evolve the device‑side software/firmware stack that controls cameras and sensors, synchronises capture, and enables new measurement capabilities.

This role sits at the intersection of embedded software, hardware integration, and sensor/vision data processing.

What You’ll Do

• Maintain and improve camera control software (triggering, timing, health monitoring, error recovery).
• Maintain and improve sensor control software (presence/distance/measurement sensors, calibration, fault handling).
• Develop new scanner capabilities.
• Implement signal processing pipelines (e.g., convert laser triangulation outputs into 2D tread‑depth maps; post‑process stereo depth results; filtering/denoising; coordinate transforms).
• Prototype quickly, then harden implementations to production‑grade reliability.
• Support system integration and deployments: bring up new modules, validate in the lab/on‑vehicle, debug issues, and ship fixes.

What We’re Looking For

Core Requirements

• Strong software engineering fundamentals (debugging, testing, reliability, version control).
• Experience integrating sensors/devices in real‑world systems.
• Comfort working close to hardware: bring‑up, wiring, and iterative troubleshooting.
• Ability to take ambiguous requirements and ship maintainable systems.

Relevant Technical Experience

• Embedded/edge platforms: Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, Arduino (or similar).
• Protocols and interfaces: RS‑485, CAN, Modbus, UART/I2C/SPI, GPIO.
• Linux‑based device development: system services, supervision, logging, performance profiling.
• Container based application development: Docker or similar container runtimes.
• Sensor/vision data processing: filtering, calibration, synchronization, map generation.

Hands‑on electronics

• Able to connect sensors to compute hardware safely and cleanly.
• Comfortable with basic soldering, crimping/connectors, and reading datasheets/wiring diagrams.

Preferred Requirements

• Computer vision/depth sensing experience (stereo, structured light, LiDAR, triangulation).
• Multi‑device synchronization (timestamps, trigger distribution, drift management).
• Queue based job management e.g. Redis worker queues.
• Production deployments (monitoring, remote updates, failure analysis).
• Python + C/C++ (and/or Rust/Go) in mixed systems.
• Familiarity with camera control APIs and image capture pipelines.
• Familiarity with IoT fleet management software such as AWS IoT, Balena Cloud, etc.

What Success Looks Like

• Camera and sensor stacks run reliably for weeks with clear telemetry and graceful recovery.
• New capabilities move from prototype to validated pipeline to production‑ready release.
• Hardware bring‑up time decreases as tooling, test harnesses, and standards improve.

Contract type

Permanent

Compensation

$120-150k

Diversity commitment

At Tractable, we are committed to building a diverse team and inclusive workplace where people’s varied backgrounds and experiences are valued and recognised. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and offer equal opportunities without discrimination.