Firmware Engineering Manager – Hands-On, Safety-Critical

FORT Robotics; Pennsylvania; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

FORT Robotics in Philadelphia is hiring a Firmware Engineering Manager to lead the firmware group end-to-end, balancing hands-on embedded work with strategic leadership.

You will own the development process, guide senior engineers on architecture and standards, and align firmware with cloud, hardware, and systems. The role emphasizes safety-critical software and rapid delivery in a hybrid, office-based environment.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of embedded software development experience.
• At least 2 years of leading or managing engineers.
• Strong C/C++ for safety-critical embedded devices.
• Experience with RTOS (Zephyr/FreeRTOS) and Embedded Linux.
• Familiarity with hardware bring-up and low-level debugging.
• Background in functional safety or regulated industries is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on contribution to the embedded stack while guiding the team.
• Own end-to-end Agile Scrum processes for the firmware group.
• Ensure technical health, prioritization, and delivery cadence.
• Mentor engineers, manage performance and career conversations.
• Collaborate across firmware, hardware, cloud, and systems to maintain coherence.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

RTOS development

Embedded Linux

Hardware bring-up

Low-level debugging

CI/CD pipelines

Python automation

Agile Scrum

Team leadership

Technical judgment

Education

Bachelor's in Computer/Electrical Engineering or equivalent

Tools

GDB

JTAG

GitLab CI/CD

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

FORT Robotics in Philadelphia is hiring a Firmware Engineering Manager to lead the firmware group end-to-end, balancing hands-on embedded work with strategic leadership.

You will own the development process, guide senior engineers on architecture and standards, and align firmware with cloud, hardware, and systems. The role emphasizes safety-critical software and rapid delivery in a hybrid, office-based environment.