Haptics Firmware Engineer San Jose

Hark, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Hark, Inc. is seeking an embedded engineer to join our team in San Jose, California. This role involves developing motion control firmware for haptic systems, emphasizing user interaction quality. You will collaborate with design teams to ensure the product delivers outstanding experiences.

The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of experience in firmware development, especially in C and C++, and a strong understanding of actuator control techniques. We offer a competitive salary range of $120,000 - $300,000 annually based on experience.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of firmware experience in C and C++.
• Hands-on experience with PID, feed-forward, and FOC techniques.
• Ability to analyze data quickly using Python or similar scripting language.

Responsibilities

• Write real-time firmware for motion and haptic systems.
• Tune controllers based on actuator behavior.
• Work closely with design partners to finalize the product experience.

Skills

Firmware development in C/C++

Motor or actuator control techniques

Measurement automation with scripting

Clear written communication

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

I2C, SPI, I2S protocols

Job description

Hark is an artificial intelligence company building advanced, personalized intelligence. One that is proactive, multimodal, and capable of interacting with the world through speech, text, vision, and persistent memory.

We're pairing that intelligence with next-generation hardware to create a universal interface between humans and machines. While today's AI largely operates through chat boxes and decade-old devices, Hark is focused on what comes next: agentic systems that interact naturally with people and the real world.

To get there, we're developing multimodal models and next-generation AI hardware together - designed from the ground up as a single, unified interface for a new era of intelligent systems.

About the Role

Hark is looking for an experience-focused, hands-on embedded engineer to build haptic and motion control system firmware and software that deliver incredible interaction experiences. We care a lot about how things feel, and how the people that use them feel, and we want someone who shares that craft mindset.

Responsibilities

• Write real-time firmware in C and C++ that drives motion and haptic systems.
• Close the loop on response time and feel. characterize actuator behavior on the bench and tune controllers until the result is genuinely pleasant to use.
• Stand up early hardware, prove out feel and timing in prototype form, and shape the final shipping experience alongside product and industrial design partners.

Requirements

• 5+ years writing firmware for microcontrollers in C and C++.
• Demonstrated hands-on motor or actuator control work that shipped — PID, feed-forward, FOC, observers, and similar techniques.
• Comfort on the bench with scopes, logic analyzers, and bus traffic over I2C, SPI, or I2S.
• Working knowledge of Python or another scripting language for measurement automation and quick data analysis.
• Clear written communication — you can explain a tradeoff to a non-firmware teammate without losing them.
• A strong instinct for what distinguishes haptics that feel right.

Bonus Qualifications

• DSP fundamentals: filtering, time-domain shaping, and basic perceptual modeling.
• RTOS experience or comfort with bare-metal scheduling for hard real-time control loops.
• Familiarity with low-power system design and the measurement habits that come with it.
• Prior work on consumer haptics, audio, or other systems where feel and timing are visible to the user.

Compensation

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.