Principal Embedded Software Engineer

Lumex Talent; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumex Talent is seeking a Principal Engineer in San Francisco, CA to own the technical vision and architecture of their embedded firmware platform for a fast-growing energy tech startup. This pivotal role involves defining a long-term roadmap, guiding a team of engineers, and transforming prototypes into production-ready systems. Candidates should have extensive experience in C/C++, firmware architecture across multiple commercial products, and modern RTOS. Join a company focused on sustainable energy solutions, offering compensation between $170,000 and $260,000 plus equity.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in bare-metal or near-bare-metal programming.
• Proven track record of architecting full firmware platforms.
• Experience managing connected devices in the field.
• Deep familiarity with FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar embedded OS.
• Comfortable with PWM, ADC, SPI, CAN, and using logic analyzers.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the long-term roadmap for our embedded platform.
• Conduct assessments to transition hardware from prototypes to production.
• Direct the work of a team of embedded engineers.
• Build and own robust Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware upgrade systems.
• Solve complex integration issues spanning hardware to full product architecture.

Skills

Expert-Level C/C++

Architecture Pedigree

Real-World Fleet Experience

Modern RTOS Expertise

Hardware Fluency

Job description

Location: San Francisco, CA (Sunset District)

Setting: 100% On-site (5 days/week)

Compensation: $170,000 – $260,000 + Equity

Company Stage: Series B / $140M+ Funding

The Mission:

They are a fast-growing energy tech startup building the power electronics infrastructure required for the 21st-century grid. With $140M in funding, they are debottlenecking global electricity generation by creating scalable, software-integrated hardware solutions for the sustainable energy transition.

THE ROLE

They are looking for a Principal Engineer to own the technical vision and architecture of our embedded firmware platform. This is a critical leadership hire. You will be the person who takes a high-potential prototype and transforms it into a rock-solid, production-ready system capable of powering global energy deployments.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Architecture Ownership: Define and own the long-term roadmap for our embedded platform, covering RTOS, HAL, bootloaders, telemetry pipelines, and core device infrastructure.
• From Prototype to Production: Conduct independent assessments of existing platforms to transition hardware from engineering prototypes to field‑hardened.
• Technical Leadership: Direct the work of a team of embedded engineers, establishing coding standards, architectural best practices, and driving rigorous design reviews.
• Fleet Management: Build and own robust Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware upgrade systems and remote management tooling for a massive fleet of connected power electronics.
• Systems Thinking: Act as the primary technical escalation point, solving complex integration issues that span from low-level silicon to full product architecture.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Expert-Level C/C++: 8+ years of hands‑on experience in bare-metal or near-bare-metal programming.
• Architecture Pedigree: A proven track record of architecting full firmware platforms across multiple shipped commercial products.
• Real‑World Fleet Experience: Experience managing connected devices in the field, including fault‑tolerant recovery mechanisms and secure boot.
• Modern RTOS Expertise: Deep familiarity with FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar embedded operating systems.
• Hardware Fluency: Comfortable with PWM, ADC, SPI, CAN, and using logic analyzers/

TECHNICAL STACK

Embedded C/C++ FreeRTOS / Zephyr Bootloaders CAN / SPI / ADC / PWM OTA Updates