Senior/Staff Firmware Engineer

brightai; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

BrightAI is seeking a Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer to design, implement, and maintain ultra-low power embedded software for MCUs, sensors, and wireless modules. You will optimize power management and collaborate with hardware teams to meet strict power budgets.

Candidates should have 7+ years in embedded development, strong C/C++ skills, and experience with RTOS. Familiarity with BLE, Zigbee, LoRa and power-profiling tools is a plus.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of embedded software development with emphasis on low power design.
• Proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain embedded firmware with a strong emphasis on ultra-low power consumption.
• Develop drivers and low-level firmware for MCUs, sensors, and wireless modules (BLE, Zigbee, LoRa).
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define power budgets and validate low-power designs.
• Implement and test power management techniques such as sleep modes, clock gating, and dynamic voltage scaling.
• Perform power profiling and debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, energy analyzers and current probes.
• Optimize code size and execution efficiency in resource-constrained environments.
• Ability to work in a no-OS or lightweight RTOS environment.
• Lead the integration of embedded communication protocols like I2C, SPI, and UART.

Skills

C/C++

Embedded

Low power design

ARM Cortex-M

RTOS

Git

Power management

Sensor drivers

Wireless modules

Math-based programming

Education

BS in CS/EE

MS in EE or related field

Tools

FreeRTOS

Zephyr

OpenCV

PyTorch

Edge Impulse

Git

Job description

Company Overview:

BrightAI is a high-growth Physical AI company transforming how businesses interact with the physical world through intelligent automation. Our platform processes visual, spatial, and temporal data from billions of real-world events-captured through edge devices, mobile sensors, and large-scale cloud infrastructure-to deliver intelligent, real-time decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain embedded firmware with a strong emphasis on ultra-low power consumption.
• Develop drivers and low-level firmware for microcontrollers (MCUs), sensors, and wireless modules (e.g., BLE, Zigbee, LoRa).
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define power budgets and validate low-power designs.
• Implement and test power management techniques such as sleep modes, clock gating, and dynamic voltage scaling.
• Perform power profiling and debugging using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, energy analyzers and current probes.
• Optimize code size and execution efficiency in resource-constrained environments.
• Ability to work in a no-OS or lightweight RTOS environment
• Participate in design reviews, code reviews, and contribute to technical documentation.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices for embedded development.
• Lead the integration of embedded communication protocols like I2C, SPI, and UART, facilitating robust data exchange across various embedded system components.

Skills and Expertise:

• BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in embedded software development, with a strong emphasis on low power design.
• Proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems.
• Hands-on experience with low-power microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex-M series, nRF52, Ambiq, MSP430).
• Familiarity with RTOS concepts and experience with lightweight operating systems (e.g., FreeRTOS or Zephyr).
• Deep understanding of hardware/software interaction and power management techniques.
• Deep familiarity with source control (Git) and development workflows.

Bonus Criteria:

• Experience with wireless communication protocols (BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, etc).
• Knowledge of PCB schematics and the ability to work closely with hardware engineers.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Experience with scripting languages (Python, Bash) for test automation.Prior work on battery-operated or energy-harvesting devices.
• Advanced skills in designing optimized solutions using C for embedded systems with stringent resource constraints.
• Strong background in math-based programming, with the ability to apply linear algebra for complex tasks like digital signal processing and machine learning.
• Experience in developing AI/ML solutions, with hands-on expertise in frameworks such as Edge Impulse, OpenCV and PyTorch for embedded applications.
• Deep experience in system architectures, including event-driven and modular design approaches, as well as abstracting hardware layers (HAL, sensor fusion, application layers).
• Proven experience in developing, maintaining, and scaling CI/CD pipelines, particularly with tools like GitHub Actions, to ensure high-quality, automated build and release processes.