Senior Embedded & Firmware Engineer — Real-Time Audio

Hapiko; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Hapiko, a Brooklyn-based company building the future of play, seeks an experienced embedded engineer to own firmware for ESP-based devices. You’ll work where real-time performance meets delightful user experiences, shipping hardware that just works in homes.

You’ll optimize C/C++ firmware, implement low-latency audio pipelines, OTA updates, and detect peripherals like displays and sensors. The role is on-site in NYC with opportunities to influence hardware decisions and scale firmware for

Qualifications

• 5+ years building embedded systems with strong C++ skills.
• Deep experience with the ESP platform and toolchain.
• Hands-on audio data handling via I2S or PDM.
• Experience shipping firmware for memory-constrained, low-power environments.
• Experience integrating peripherals via SPI, UART, GPIO.
• Experience shipping consumer electronics or high-volume hardware.
• Worked with FreeRTOS and task scheduling.
• Applied basic audio DSP techniques like filtering and gain control.
• Built firmware for manufacturing test and factory workflows.
• Written Python scripts for tooling or test automation.

Responsibilities

• Own firmware that runs on thousands of devices in people’s homes.
• Optimize C/C++ firmware for ESP-based systems.
• Develop real-time audio pipelines with low-latency capture and playback.
• Implement reliable OTA update systems for thousands to millions of devices.
• Integrate peripherals across displays, printers, and sensors.
• Memory and power optimizations that squeeze every bit of performance.
• Production-ready firmware built for manufacturing scale.

Skills

Embedded systems

C++

ESP platform

I2S / PDM audio

FreeRTOS

SPI / UART / GPIO

Python scripting

Hardware debugging

Tools

ESP-IDF

FreeRTOS

Oscilloscope

Logic analyzers

Job description

Hapiko, a Brooklyn-based company building the future of play, seeks an experienced embedded engineer to own firmware for ESP-based devices. You’ll work where real-time performance meets delightful user experiences, shipping hardware that just works in homes.

You’ll optimize C/C++ firmware, implement low-latency audio pipelines, OTA updates, and detect peripherals like displays and sensors. The role is on-site in NYC with opportunities to influence hardware decisions and scale firmware for