Principal Embedded Firmware Engineer

Colonial Staffing Group Inc.; East Greenwich (RI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Colonial Staffing Group Inc. in Rhode Island is seeking a Principal Firmware Engineer to define scalable firmware architectures and build robust embedded systems from the ground up. This hands-on technical leadership role drives architecture decisions and cross‑team collaboration.

You’ll lead development across multiple products, mentor engineers, and partner with hardware teams to bring prototypes to production while ensuring real‑time performance and reliable communication protocols.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of embedded firmware development in a product environment.
• 3+ years leading firmware architecture across teams.
• Expert-level C/C++ experience for embedded systems.
• Strong RTOS and real-time communication protocol knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead firmware architecture and development across multiple teams and products.
• Design scalable, maintainable embedded software architectures.
• Develop high-quality embedded firmware in C/C++.
• Advance real-time embedded systems development and protocols.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers on bring‑up and integration.
• Troubleshoot complex system-level issues from prototype to production.
• Mentor and provide technical leadership to other firmware engineers.

Skills

C/C++ for embedded

Real-time systems

Embedded software architecture

Leadership/mentoring

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

Tools

Embedded toolchain

Hardware bring-up tools

Job description

Are you the Firmware Engineer who gets excited about architecture, solving tough embedded problems, and seeing your work become a real product?

I’m working with a terrific product development team in the Greenwich, RI area that is looking for a Principal Firmware Engineer to help define scalable firmware architectures and build robust embedded systems from the ground up.

This is a hands‑on technical leadership role for someone who loves digging into the details but can also see the big picture—setting architecture, guiding development across teams, and helping build the next generation of connected products.

What You’ll Do

• Lead firmware architecture and development across multiple teams and products
• Design scalable, maintainable embedded software architectures
• Develop high-quality embedded firmware in C/C++
• Drive real-time embedded systems development and communication protocols
• Partner closely with hardware engineers through hardware bring‑up, board‑level debugging, and HW/SW integration
• Troubleshoot complex system‑level issues and help teams get from prototype to production
• Mentor and provide technical leadership to other firmware engineers

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
• 10+ years of embedded firmware development in a product development environment
• 3+ years leading firmware architecture and development across teams
• Expert‑level C/C++ experience for embedded systems
• Strong understanding of real‑time embedded systems and communication protocols
• Hands‑on experience with hardware bring‑up, board‑level debugging, and hardware/software integration
• Strong systems thinking and the ability to make sound architectural decisions
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• IoT, wireless, or connected products are a plus!

Why This Opportunity?

You’ll have the opportunity to influence architecture, technology, and product direction while remaining close to the engineering. If you’re someone who wants to be the technical person people turn to when the problem is complicated—and you enjoy building products that actually make it into the world—this could be a really fun one.