Staff/Lead Firmware Engineer

American Innovations; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

American Innovations in Austin, TX is hiring a Staff Firmware Engineer to add senior embedded firmware capacity on a small R&D team delivering a flagship IoT product. This is an individual contributor role with no people management expectations.

The role emphasizes hands-on development, code reviews, tests, and cross-team collaboration, growing toward broader platform ownership as the foundation stabilizes.

Qualifications

• Embedded C/C++ experience in shipped products.
• Experience with FSMs, event-driven architectures and embedded UI.
• HAL/driver architecture for MCU-based products.
• Proficiency with RTOS, bootloaders, low-power design.
• Test automation, hardware-in-loop, and CI for embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Support firmware execution, state machines, HAL boundaries and drivers.
• Collaborate with senior firmware engineer on near-term delivery.
• Work with architecture advisor on platform standards and release hygiene.
• Grow into broader firmware ownership on follow-on product lines.
• Maintain disciplined embedded execution with design notes, reviews and tests.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

State-pattern FSM

HAL/driver architecture

RTOS & bootloaders

Test automation

Code review & CI

BLE/USB/serial

Hardware debugging

Job description

Description

We are hiring a Staff Firmware Engineer to add senior embedded firmware capacity and deep technical contribution on a small R&D team as we deliver a flagship next-generation IoT product and prepare follow-on platform work. This is an individual contributor role. There is no expectation to manage people or lead a firmware team. This person will:

• Support current-program firmware execution: state-pattern FSM, HAL boundaries, driver integration, prototype board bring-up, and firmware-test readiness.
• Partner with the existing senior firmware engineer (program DRI) on near-term delivery; the current DRI remains accountable while this person ramps.
• Work with a senior firmware architecture advisor on platform standards, architecture review, release hygiene, and cross-team consistency.
• Grow into broader firmware ownership on follow-on product lines once the current foundation is stable — as a senior IC, not as a people manager.
• Bring disciplined embedded execution: Jira stories, design notes / ADRs, code reviews, tests, and early escalation.

Requirements

• Embedded C/C++, HW-adjacent debug, shipped product, test discipline, collaboration
• State-pattern FSM, hierarchical state machines, event-driven architecture, embedded UI/menu systems
• HAL / driver architecture for MCU-based products
• RTOS, watchdogs, bootloaders, firmware update, low-power, BLE/USB/serial
• Radio / connectivity (big plus): GPS/GNSS, BLE, cellular modem, satellite modem, RF module integration
• Analog measurement (big plus): ADC, calibration, noise/drift, accuracy, data acquisition, DVM/instrumentation
• Safety/reliability: logging, fault handling, recovery, release hygiene
• Test automation, hardware-in-loop, unit tests, CI for embedded
• Test & measurement, industrial instrumentation, power electronics, field equipment
• Peer mentoring; improving existing codebases without destabilizing delivery