Firmware Engineer

SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment | Certified B Corporation™; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Equity

Competitive salary

Job summary

SR2 | Socially Responsible Recruitment | Certified B Corporation™ in San Francisco is seeking a Firmware Engineer at the intersection of code and hardware to design and implement real-time embedded software for autonomous hardware systems.

You will craft firmware in C++, design electrical schematics, and integrate software with sensors, actuators, and motor drives, while owning test protocols and documentation end-to-end.

Qualifications

• 3+ years building real-time, safety-critical embedded systems and schematic design.
• Strong C++ for embedded systems and Python scripting ability.
• Experience with microcontroller-based control systems (power, motor drives).
• Experience integrating software with sensors, actuators and control hardware.
• Degree in EE, CS, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Build real-time embedded C++ for autonomous systems where milliseconds matter.
• Design electrical schematics and power/embedded circuits from datasheets.
• Integrate firmware with sensors, actuators, and motor drives.
• Test and debug in lab and field with scopes, simulations and real-world validation.
• Own end-to-end work: documentation, block diagrams, schematics, test protocols.

Skills

Embedded C++

Python scripting

Real-time embedded

Electrical schematics

Sensor integration

Robotics experience

Education

B.S. in EE or CS

Tools

CAN

UART

I2C

Oscilloscope

Job description

We're a well-funded, early-stage defense technology company building autonomous hardware systems that use computer vision and real-time control to detect and respond to airborne threats. Founded by engineers with a strong track record of prior successful exits, we're a lean, engineering-first team solving problems that don't have off-the-shelf answers.

We need a Firmware Engineer who lives at the intersection of code and hardware.

You’ll design real-time embedded software in C++ and the electrical systems it runs on — reading datasheets, drawing schematics, simulating circuits, then writing the firmware that brings it all to life. This isn't a role where you're handed a board and told to write drivers; you'll help define the board in the first place.

What you'll actually do:

• Build real-time embedded C++ for autonomous systems where milliseconds and reliability both matter
• Design electrical schematics and power/embedded circuits from microcontroller and IC datasheets
• Integrate firmware with sensors, actuators, and motor drives
• Test and debug in the lab and in the field — oscilloscopes, simulation, real-world validation
• Own your work end-to-end: docs, block diagrams, schematics, test protocols

What you bring:

• 3+ years building real-time, safety-critical embedded systems, plus electrical/schematic design experience
• Strong C++ for embedded, comfortable in Python for scripting
• Knowledge of microcontroller-based control systems (power conversion, motor drives)
• Experience integrating software with sensors, actuators, and control hardware — ideally in robotics or autonomous systems
• A degree in EE, CS, or related field

Bonus points:

embedded Linux/RTOS, custom kernel work, CAN/UART/I2C, low-latency optimization under tight power/compute budgets.

Why this role:

Small team, high ownership, real hardware shipping to real customers - not a slide deck. Competitive salary, equity, full health coverage, and the kind of technical problems you don't get to touch elsewhere.