Firmware Engineering Intern

Base Power Company; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 27,552 - 55,104; Full time

Job summary

Base Power Company in Austin, Texas is looking for a Firmware Engineering Intern to contribute to the development of low-level software for their power systems. Interns will work closely with firmware on embedded systems that impact real power flows and ensure reliability across thousands of homes.

The ideal candidate should have strong programming skills in C/C++, an understanding of embedded systems, and a drive to solve real-world engineering problems.

Qualifications

• Solid understanding of C/C++ and embedded systems.
• Experience with microcontrollers and RTOS from coursework or projects.
• Interest in system behaviors and hardware debugging.

Responsibilities

• Design and test firmware in C/C++ on embedded systems.
• Develop device drivers and communication interfaces.
• Collaborate with hardware and software engineers.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Embedded systems concepts

Microcontrollers

Robotics

Power electronics

Job description

About the Role

At Base, we're building America's next-generation power company. Firmware is the layer where our software meets the hardware sitting on real homes, making millisecond-level decisions that keep the fleet stable, balance the grid, protect the hardware, and keep the lights on when things go wrong.

As a firmware engineering intern, you won't just observe how these systems work. You'll help build them. You'll contribute to the low-level software running on our batteries and inverters, get hands‑on experience with embedded systems, and ship code that affects real members and real power flows.

This is one of the few places where the code you write moves electrons through actual hardware on the live grid. Reliability and precision aren't abstract here. They show up in whether someone's lights stay on.

What You'll Do

• Build core firmware. Design, implement, and test firmware in C/C++ on bare-metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux systems running across our fleet.
• Work close to the hardware. Develop and debug device drivers, communication interfaces, and low-level system behavior. Read schematics, interpret datasheets, and learn how software interacts with real circuits, sensors, and power electronics.
• Contribute to fleet‑critical systems. Help build the pieces that keep thousands of homes running, high-rate telemetry, automated fault detection and response, reliable communications on unreliable networks, fast commissioning, and grid‑balancing control loops.
• Ship under real‑world constraints. Write code that has to be reliable, deterministic, and safe. Timing matters. Failures have physical consequences. Simplicity is usually the right answer.
• Work across domains. Collaborate with hardware, power electronics, and platform software engineers to solve integration problems and deliver robust end‑to‑end behavior.

What You'll Bring

• Solid understanding of C/C++, embedded systems concepts, and basic computer architecture.
• Experience from coursework, side projects, or prior internships involving microcontrollers, RTOS, sensor integration, robotics, power electronics, or other embedded systems.
• Interest in how real systems behave. Timing diagrams, interrupts, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debugging actual hardware.
• Clear, concise communicator who thrives in fast‑paced, collaborative environments.
• Builder's mindset. Curious, self‑directed, and drawn to problems that actually matter.

Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.