Senior Firmware Engineer

Sterling Engineering; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Sterling Engineering is seeking an Embedded Firmware Engineer (C Programming) to join our autonomous marine robotics team in Seattle, WA. This role focuses on low-level firmware development and close hardware interaction for autonomous vehicles used in environmental research.

Ideal candidates will have strong C programming and embedded experience, with Java for data decoding and tool support. Relocation assistance is available for qualified applicants, and training will be provided for the right

Qualifications

• Professional C programming experience in embedded systems.
• Embedded firmware development experience.
• Java experience for decoding data and supporting software tools.
• Experience debugging at the hardware/software interface.
• Ability to read hardware schematics and component datasheets.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Skills

C programming

Embedded firmware development

Java

Hardware/software debugging

Read schematics and datasheets

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline

Tools

GNU toolchains

Job description

Embedded Firmware Engineer (C Programming) – Autonomous Marine Robotics

• Location: Seattle, WA
• Relocation Assistance Available

Please Note: Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates relocating within the U.S. This position is not eligible for candidates requiring current or future visa sponsorship or visa transfers.

Join a small, highly collaborative engineering team developing fully autonomous robotic vehicles that operate in the world's oceans to support environmental and climate research. This is a unique opportunity to develop firmware for sophisticated autonomous systems where software reliability, efficiency, and precision are critical.

This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy working close to the hardware and solving challenging low-level programming problems rather than developing desktop or web applications.

Must Have Qualifications

• Professional C programming experience (Required)
• Embedded firmware development experience
• Java experience (used for decoding compressed data and supporting software tools)
• Experience debugging at the hardware/software interface
• Ability to read hardware schematics and component datasheets
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline

Highly Preferred

• Bare-metal embedded development experience
• GNU toolchains
• Embedded software testing and verification

Candidates with strong Linux or UNIX embedded development experience who are interested in transitioning into bare-metal firmware development are encouraged to apply. Training will be provided for the right individual.

What We’re Not Looking For

This is not a C++, Python, web development, cloud, AI/ML, or application software position.

Candidates whose primary experience is in C++, Python, or high-level application development without professional embedded C firmware experience are unlikely to be a fit.

If you’re passionate about embedded systems, enjoy programming close to the hardware, and want to build technology that enables autonomous exploration of the world's oceans, we’d love to hear from you.