Senior Firmware Manager

Amperesand; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary + Incentive Stock Options

Medical, vision, and dental benefits

401k retirement savings plan

Paid time off and holidays

Commuter Benefits

Paid maternal and paternal leave

Job summary

Amperesand in San Francisco is looking for a Senior Firmware Manager to lead the embedded software team responsible for the firmware powering our innovative energy solutions. You will guide technical architecture, manage engineers, and contribute to design and debugging tasks.

The ideal candidate has a robust background in embedded firmware development and team leadership, with a focus on delivering high-reliability embedded systems. A competitive salary and benefits package is offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years developing embedded firmware in C/C++ for real-time systems.
• 3+ years managing or leading firmware teams.
• Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and quality of all firmware running on platforms.
• Drive firmware delivery across multiple releases.
• Recruit and mentor a high-performing firmware engineering team.

Skills

Embedded firmware development in C/C++

Real-time control systems

Safety-critical firmware

Microcontroller architectures

Debugging at the board and system level

Cross-discipline collaboration

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

CI/CD tools

Job description

Company Overview

Amperesand is reinventing how the world powers its most critical systems.

We are facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity for infrastructure disruption. Electricity demand is skyrocketing, driven by AI factories, electric vehicles, and modern industrial growth. Energy supply is shifting to incorporate a more diverse mix of resources – including solar, gas, and batteries – at a massive scale.

And yet the power infrastructure behind our latest mega-projects hasn’t meaningfully changed in nearly 100 years. Supply chains for today’s infrastructure equipment can’t match the pace and sophistication of critical energy projects. Amperesand is building hardware and software that rewrites this broken power infrastructure playbook to support a new era of energy abundance.

We’ve built a new class of intelligent, software‑defined power infrastructure products leveraging a decade of advanced medium voltage Solid State Transformer research that’s now ready for commercial deployment.

Our products and solutions go far beyond the capabilities of traditional electrical equipment. We make power systems that are faster to deploy, dramatically smaller and more efficient, and capable of supporting modern, dynamic energy needs for tomorrow’s most demanding energy consumers.

Scalable in‑house advanced manufacturing capability is our foundation for meeting timeline and quality expectation to serve infrastructure customers around the world.

Amperesand is led by breakthrough energy hardware development veterans and funded by top tier investors who share our vision of building a category‑defining energy technology company.

With hubs in San Francisco, Reno, and Singapore, our global team is laser focused on building foundational technology to solve the most pressing problems in power infrastructure at scale.

Join us in building the power foundation of the future!

Role Summary

We are looking for a Senior Firmware Manager to lead and grow the embedded software team responsible for the control, safety, and communication firmware that powers our converters and solid‑state transformer platforms.

You will guide technical architecture, drive execution across multiple product lines, and build a team that consistently delivers high‑reliability embedded systems. This role is hands‑on: you will both manage engineers and contribute to design, code reviews, system bring‑up, and debugging of real hardware.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of firmware, power electronics, and product leadership.

Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership

• Own the architecture, implementation, and quality of all firmware running on our converter and SST platforms.
• Lead firmware design reviews, safety analyses, and high‑level technical decisions.
• Partner closely with Controls, Power Electronics, Electrical, and Systems teams to translate product and system requirements into clear firmware specifications.
• Guide firmware architecture across multiple MCU platforms.
• Establish best practices for embedded development—coding standards, CI/CD, testing frameworks, branching strategies, and documentation.

Execution & Delivery

• Drive firmware delivery across multiple releases and hardware revisions.
• Manage prioritization, sprint planning, and cross‑functional alignment with Hardware, Controls, Systems, and Manufacturing teams.
• Work directly with hardware during bring‑up: oscilloscopes, UART/SPI/I²C debug, JTAG, power event testing, and system validation.
• Own root‑cause investigation for firmware‑related issues in lab, field, and manufacturing environments.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a high‑performing firmware engineering team.
• Create growth paths, set expectations, and provide regular feedback.
• Build a culture of ownership, collaboration, and technical curiosity.
• Foster strong cross‑team communication and requirements traceability.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years developing embedded firmware in C/C++ for real‑time systems.
• 3+ years managing or leading firmware teams.
• Strong experience with real‑time control systems, safety‑critical firmware, or power electronics.
• Deep understanding of microcontroller architectures, interrupts, DMA, peripherals, bootloaders, and RTOS environments.
• Hands‑on experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, hardware bring‑up, and debugging at the board and system level.
• Experience with structured requirements (PRS/DRS), version control, CI/CD, and firmware release processes.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across disciplines.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Familiarity with grid‑connected systems.
• Knowledge of safety standards (UL/IEC), HV/MV systems, or SIL‑oriented firmware development.
• Exposure to manufacturing test firmware.
• Experience scaling firmware practices for multiproduct hardware organizations.

Pay Disclosure & Benefits

SF Pay Range: $190,000 – $230,000 USD

Pay is determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law.

The following benefits apply exclusively to employees located in the United States.

• Competitive Salary + Incentive Stock Options
• Medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees and their dependents, effective from the start of hire
• Company‑paid Basic Life, AD&D, short‑term and long‑term disability insurance
• 401k retirement savings plan through Empower
• Employees receive paid time off (PTO), paid sick days, and paid company holidays
• Commuter Benefits
• 100% paid maternal leave (12 weeks) and paternal leave (6 weeks)

Singapore‑based employees receive benefits in accordance with local government provisions.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Amperesand is an equal‑opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition or any other characteristic protected by law.

Amperesand is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.