Firmware Engineer (Bare-Metal / RTOS)

Harbinger Motors Inc.; Garden Grove (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early-stage stock options

401k/retirement savings program

Annual vacation bonus

Wellness & fertility benefits

Cell phone stipend

Complimentary meals & stocked kitchens

Job summary

Harbinger Motors Inc. is seeking a Firmware Engineer to design and implement bare-metal and RTOS firmware for our advanced EV motor control systems. You will work at the hardware-software intersection to maximize determinism, safety, and efficiency in our powertrains.

Responsibilities include configuring BSPs, implementing low-level drivers, tuning control algorithms like FOC, and collaborating with hardware and power electronics teams. Strong C/C++ and ARM Cortex-M experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or closely related field.
• 3+ years of embedded firmware development experience.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for resource-constrained embedded systems.
• Hands-on experience with ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers or equivalent.
• Solid understanding of motor control algorithms, DSP, control theory, and PID tuning.
• Familiarity with CAN, SPI, I2C, UART communication protocols.
• Proficient in debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain deterministic embedded firmware for EV motor control systems in bare-metal and RTOS environments.
• Configure and optimize Board Support Packages and hardware drivers.
• Develop, tune, and optimize control algorithms, including high-frequency FOC.
• Improve CPU efficiency, reduce interrupt latency, optimize memory usage, and meet safety goals.
• Perform testing and validation using real-time simulation and HIL setups.
• Collaborate with HW, software, and power electronics teams to integrate firmware.
• Create comprehensive firmware design and testing documentation.

Skills

C/C++ (embedded)

Motor control algorithms

DSP basics

PID tuning

CAN/SPI/I2C/UART

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

ARM Cortex-M

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Debuggers

Job description

Harbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger’s best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.

About the Role

At Harbinger, we are redefining the performance of electric vehicles. We are seeking a highly skilled Firmware Engineer to design and implement the bare-metal and RTOS-based firmware that drives our advanced motor control systems. In this role, you will work at the intersection of hardware and software, squeezing every cycle out of the microcontroller to ensure nanosecond-level determinism, safety, and efficiency in our EV powertrains.

What You’ll Do

Firmware Architecture & Development: Design, implement, and maintain highly deterministic embedded firmware for advanced EV motor control systems operating in bare-metal and RTOS environments.

BSP & Driver Configuration: Configure and optimize vendor Board Support Packages (BSPs) and write low-level hardware drivers to ensure optimal performance of application software.

Algorithm Implementation: Deploy, tune, and optimize complex control algorithms, including high-frequency Field-Oriented Control (FOC).

System Optimization: Relentlessly enhance CPU efficiency, reduce interrupt latency, optimize memory footprints, and ensure the system meets strict performance and safety goals.

Testing & Validation: Perform rigorous testing, debugging, and validation using real-time simulation and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments.

Cross-Functional Integration: Work closely with hardware, application software, and power electronics teams to seamlessly integrate firmware with the broader motor control system.

Documentation: Create and maintain clean, comprehensive documentation covering firmware design, architecture, and testing methodologies.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field.

Experience: 3+ years of professional experience in embedded firmware development.

Language Proficiency: Strong proficiency in C/C++ specifically tailored for resource-constrained embedded systems.

Hardware Experience: Hands-on experience developing for ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers or equivalent embedded platforms.

Domain Knowledge: Solid foundational understanding of motor control algorithms, digital signal processing (DSP), control theory, and PID tuning.

Communication Protocols: Familiarity with standard embedded communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART).

Debugging Skills: Hands-on proficiency with standard lab tools, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced Degree: Master’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering with a focus on control systems.

Industry Experience: Direct experience developing firmware for electric vehicle (EV) powertrains or automotive motor controls.

Advanced Motor Controls: Hands-on experience implementing sensorless control techniques.

Complex Peripherals: Deep knowledge of complex timer units and cross-triggering peripherals, such as eTPU and GTM.

Advanced Validation: Proven experience setting up, maintaining, and running Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing environments.

• Early-stage Stock Options
• Robust Retirement Savings (401k, HSA, FSA)
• Annual Vacation Bonus
• Wellness & Fertility Benefits
• Cell Phone Stipend
• Complimentary Meals & Stocked Kitchens

$130,000 - $160,000 USD

Harbinger is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Harbinger is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy

Harbinger may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Harbinger may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Harbinger may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our HR, legal, and finance teams, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Harbinger affiliates; and (iii) Harbinger’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Harbinger may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.