Firmware Engineer

Open Vision Engineering Inc; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Pocket is seeking an embedded firmware engineer to bring up peripherals, diagnose issues, and build robust firmware for devices in the AI voice recorder space. You will work closely with hardware and mobile teams to ensure reliable performance across devices and OS versions.

The role emphasizes hands‑on debugging, test coverage, and the ability to translate field reports into reproducible fixes. Remote work is not indicated; on‑site presence in San Francisco is expected for this full‑time

Qualifications

• Ability to read schematics and datasheets and trace a problem from app symptom to hardware
• Understanding how embedded devices interface with hosts over Bluetooth/BLE, USB or Wi‑Fi
• Git, maintainable code, and tests that catch failures on real hardware
• High ownership and clear communication across teams to reproduce issues and verify fixes
• A degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science or equivalent experience
• Open to any experience level; show what you’ve built and how you solve embedded problems
• Audio‑device firmware experience is a strong plus
• Experience with microphone/ADC signal paths and codecs like Opus/MP3 is a strong plus
• Experience with Zephyr or similar RTOS and Cortex‑M platforms is a strong plus
• Experience with flash storage, FAT/LittleFS, and power-loss recovery is a strong plus
• Experience with low‑power consumer electronics, Python, CI and production tests is a strong plus
• Experience integrating firmware with iOS/Android apps and BLE services is a strong plus
• Experience taking embedded products from prototype to manufacturing and supporting customers’ devices is a strong plus

Skills

Read schematics and datasheets

BLE/USB/Wi‑Fi interfaces

Git and tests on hardware

Cross-team ownership and communication

Audio firmware experience

RTOS (Zephyr) & Cortex‑M

Audio codecs familiarity

Python scripting and CI

Education

Bachelor's in EE/CE/CS or equivalent

Tools

Git

Job description

What we’re looking for

• Ability to read schematics and datasheets, bring up peripherals, and follow a problem from an app symptom down to the driver or hardware

• Understanding of how embedded devices interface with phones or other hosts over Bluetooth/BLE, USB or Wi‑Fi, including commands, status reporting, disconnects, retries, compatibility and partial transfers, or the ability to learn this quickly

• Git, maintainable code, and tests that catch failures on real hardware

• High ownership and clear communication across teams: you can turn an intermittent field report into a reproducible issue and a verified fix

• A degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience

• Open to any experience level, with no minimum years of experience. Show us what you’ve built and how you solve embedded problems

• Audio‑device firmware experience (voice recorders, microphones, headsets, wearables, or other products where capture quality and uninterrupted recording matter) is a strong plus

• Experience with microphone and ADC signal paths, I²S/PDM, PCM/WAV, Opus or MP3 codecs, gain control, filtering, noise suppression or voice activity detection, and the ability to measure audio quality and explain the tradeoffs, is a strong plus

• Experience with Zephyr or a similar RTOS, ARM Cortex‑M, Actions Semiconductor platforms, or vendor SDKs and proprietary DSP components is a strong plus

• Experience with flash or SD storage, FAT or LittleFS, recording recovery after power loss, and preserving files during concurrent recording and sync is a strong plus

• Experience with low‑power consumer electronics, bootloaders, secure boot or signed updates, Python scripting, CI and production test fixtures is a strong plus

• Experience integrating firmware with iOS or Android companion apps, designing BLE GATT services or device SDK interfaces, and debugging interoperability across phone models, OS versions and app background states is a strong plus

• Experience taking embedded products from prototype through manufacturing and supporting devices already in customers’ hands is a strong plus

What we offer

• Full‑time role, in person in San Francisco 6 days a week

• Base salary of $160K–$250K, depending on experience

About Pocket

Pocket is a Y Combinator W26 company building a premium hardware plus software product in the AI voice recorder space. We are obsessed with quality and speed. We are scaling very fast in the US and European markets and building a device experience that can become the category leader.