Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Systems and Firmware

Google; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 174,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

Google’s Wearable Platforms team seeks a software engineer to own the wearable co‑processor software stack, from the AP to the co‑processor and sensor interfaces. You will shape power, performance, and software abstraction layers for first‑party wearable devices.

You’ll collaborate across teams on CHRE and sensor improvements, verify algorithms and telemetry pipelines, and influence future hardware architectures for efficient ambient computing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages (C++).
• 3 years of experience testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year of experience with software design and architecture.
• 3 years of experience working with embedded operating systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize the software platform for wearable co‑processors, including board bring‑up, AP/co‑processor communication, and on‑chip peripherals.
• Work with partner teams to improve sensors and Context Hub Runtime Environment (CHRE) frameworks.
• Build and maintain a developer‑friendly environment and abstraction layers to support other teams working on the co‑processor.
• Evaluate and prove out power, performance, and platform capabilities on new and unreleased hardware to inform next‑generation wearable experiences.
• Integrate and enhance frameworks for algorithm development, data collection, telemetry, and testing (e.g., unit, integration, hardware‑in‑the‑loop).

Skills

C++

Embedded OS

Software testing

Software architecture

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

RTOS

protobuf

RPCs

I2C

SPI

UART

Unix/Linux

Job description

In most instances, this position requires in-person interviews as part of the hiring process.

Applicants in San Francisco: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Mountain View, CA, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages (C++).
• 3 years of experience testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year of experience with software design and architecture.
• 3 years of experience working with embedded operating systems.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and Android build/development environments.
• Experience with multi-processor architectures and inter-processor communication.
• Experience with low-level debugging, Protocol Buffers (protobuf) and Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs).
• Experience with on-chip peripherals (e.g., I2C, SPI, UART).
• Knowledge of Unix/Linux environments and kernel development.

About The Job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

In this role, you will be responsible for all layers of software, from the platform up through the sensor stack and Wear OS, for first‑party wearable devices. You will focus on the interaction between co‑processors and the main Application Processor (AP) complex, as well as the co‑processor itself, and algorithms and related sensors. You will also work to influence future hardware architectures to push the boundary of highly efficient ambient computing.

The Platforms and Devices team encompasses Google's various computing software platforms across environments (desktop, mobile, applications), as well as our first‑party devices and services that combine the best of Google AI, software, and hardware. Teams across this area research, design, and develop new technologies to make our user's interaction with computing faster and more seamless, building innovative experiences for our users around the world.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $174000 - $252000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Responsibilities

Learn more about benefits at Google .

• Develop and optimize the software platform for wearable co‑processors, including board bring‑up, AP/co‑processor communication, and on‑chip peripherals.
• Work with partner teams to improve sensors and Context Hub Runtime Environment (CHRE) frameworks.
• Build and maintain a developer‑friendly environment and abstraction layers to support other teams working on the co‑processor.
• Evaluate and prove out power, performance, and platform capabilities on new and unreleased hardware to inform next‑generation wearable experiences.
• Integrate and enhance frameworks for algorithm development, data collection, telemetry, and testing (e.g., unit, integration, hardware‑in‑the‑loop).

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form .