Senior Embedded Systems Engineer

Kingfisher Company, inc.; Lowell (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kingfisher Company Inc. in Lowell, MA designs and manufactures emergency communications equipment for the fire alarm industry.

We are seeking a hands-on engineer to own embedded firmware, connectivity, and hardware development for our connected products. You will write embedded C/C++ firmware, integrate cellular and IP networking, select microcontrollers and supporting ICs, and guide external PCB layout while bringing up boards in the lab.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field; 10+ years in electronic product development.
• Strong hands-on embedded firmware development skills in C/C++.
• Experience with MCU/MPU, peripherals, and embedded interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, USB, RS-232/RS-485).
• Proven experience delivering IP-connected embedded products with TCP/IP networking.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop embedded hardware and firmware for cellular/IP-based communications.
• Lead system architecture and firmware development (drivers, stacks, diagnostics, apps).
• Integrate cellular, Ethernet, Wi-Fi; ensure secure device-to-cloud communications.
• Define PCB requirements; review outsourced PCB layout and support bring-up.
• Prototype bring-up and test; troubleshoot across hardware/firmware.
• Support production release, regulatory/compliance activities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

Embedded systems design

TCP/IP networking

Hardware debugging

PCB design review

Mentorship/leadership

IoT/ OTA knowledge

Education

Bachelors in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

ESP32/ESP-IDF

FreeRTOS

AWS IoT Core

Lab instrumentation

Job description

BUILD RELIABLE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS

Kingfisher designs and manufactures emergency communications equipment for the fire alarm industry. We are looking for a hands-on engineer to own embedded firmware, connectivity, and electronic hardware development for our connected products.

Firmware and connectivity are central to this role, alongside substantial hardware design responsibility. You will write embedded C/C++ firmware, integrate cellular and IP networking, select microcontrollers and supporting ICs, design schematics, define PCB requirements, and bring up and debug boards in the lab. PCB layout is handled by external designers; you will guide and review their work.

This is a senior technical role with substantial influence over product architecture and opportunities to mentor other engineers. You will work in a collaborative, small-team environment on products where dependable communications matter.

YOUR PRIMARY PROJECT

You will own an IoT emergency communications platform that connects fire alarm systems to cloud services over cellular, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. The current stack includes ESP32, ESP-IDF/FreeRTOS, AWS IoT Core, MQTT/TLS, serial and IP interfaces, remote configuration, and over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.

Your work will span ongoing firmware development, hardware evolution, system integration, and reliability.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Design and develop electronic hardware and firmware for embedded cellular and IP-based communications and networking products for use in emergency communication systems.
• Lead system architecture and develop embedded C/C++ firmware, including device drivers, communications stacks, diagnostics, and application software.
• Integrate cellular modems, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and serial interfaces; implement reliable IP networking and secure device-to-cloud and cloud-to-device communications.
• Select microcontrollers, communications devices, and supporting ICs; design schematics and analyze analog and digital circuits.
• Define PCB material, stack-up, and electrical layout requirements; coordinate outsourced PCB layout and review designs before fabrication.
• Bring up prototype boards and use lab instruments to diagnose failures across circuits, firmware, interfaces, networking, and communications.
• Carry designs through testing and production release; support regulatory, product safety, EMC, wireless, and industry certification activities.
• Work closely with software, cloud, systems, test, manufacturing, and product-development teams; document designs, interfaces, and test procedures.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and provide technical guidance throughout development.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline, and 10+ years of professional electronic product-development experience.
• Strong hands-on embedded firmware development skills in C/C++.
• Experience with microcontrollers, microprocessors, memory, peripherals, and embedded interfaces such as UART, SPI, I²C, USB, and RS-232/RS-485.
• Demonstrated experience developing IP-connected embedded products and a strong understanding of TCP/IP networking and communications protocols.
• Experience integrating cellular communications and connecting embedded devices to cloud applications, platforms, or services.
• Significant hands-on analog and digital circuit design experience, including MCU and supporting IC selection, schematic design, PCB material and stack-up evaluation, and layout review.
• Strong board bring-up and hardware/firmware troubleshooting skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and network diagnostic tools, with the ability to identify root causes across hardware and firmware.
• Demonstrated ability to independently take complex electronic products from concept through prototyping, verification, and production.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Experience in one or more of these areas is desirable:

• IoT and machine-to-machine communications; MQTT, HTTPS, REST APIs, WebSockets, and TLS.
• ESP32/ESP-IDF, real-time operating systems such as FreeRTOS, or embedded Linux.
• Cellular modem/module integration, AT-command interfaces, and Ethernet controllers, switches, or routers.
• Embedded cybersecurity, including encryption, authentication, certificates, secure boot, firmware signing, and over-the-air (OTA) updates.
• Cloud platforms such as AWS or Microsoft Azure.
• High-reliability, life-safety, security, industrial, public-safety, or mission-critical communications systems.

A master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline is also preferred.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Annual salary of $110,000–$160,000.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching.
• Paid time off.

LOCATION

This position is on-site in Lowell, MA 01854. Applicants must be able to commute to this location. Relocation is not available.

Kingfisher Company Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer