Staff Software Engineer - Embedded

Alarm.com; Tysons (VA); On-site; USD 144,250 - 169,126; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

HSA contribution

401(k) match

Paid holidays/vacation

Wellness time

Maternity leave

Disability & life insurance

FSA

Job summary

Alarm.com is seeking a Staff Embedded Software Engineer to lead device engineering for IoT‑connected solutions. You will architect software for constrained devices, drive cross‑team decisions, and mentor engineers across a fast‑paced environment.

The role emphasizes C++11/14, RTOS, cross‑compilation, and secure, scalable architectures across multiple hardware variants. A deep background in embedded systems and networking is required to shape our edge devices and cloud integration.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with focus on native/embedded systems development.
• Experience with large complex C++ codebases.
• Expert in C++11/14 and modern language features.
• Experience with bare‑metal and RTOS (FreeRTOS/Zephyr/ThreadX).

Responsibilities

• Drive technical decision‑making across teams and architectures.
• Architect and analyze large codebases for monolithic vs modular designs.
• Implement state machines, event‑driven patterns, and publish/subscribe models.
• Support multi‑SKU cross‑platform software design.
• Create ADRs, architectural docs, and system specifications.
• Communicate constraints to product, hardware, and stakeholders.
• Identify tech debt and champion long‑term remediation.

Skills

Embedded systems experience

C++ expert (11/14)

Large C++ codebase

Linux threading & IPC

Build systems: CMake/Makefile

Cross‑compilation

RTOS environments

Networking protocols (IoT)

Git & CI/CD

Asynchronous/messaging design

Security protocols TLS/SSL

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer/EE/CS or related

Tools

CMake

Makefile

Cross‑compilation tooling

Job description

Alarm.com is a rapidly expanding technology company developing innovative cloud and device solutions across a wide range of cutting‑edge technologies that provide a unified, connected service to millions of residential and commercial properties in the US and abroad. We are looking for a talented and passionate Staff Embedded Software Engineer for the Device Engineering team to help us define the future of the Internet‑of‑Things for residential and commercial properties by creating and integrating devices that connect with our robust cloud using next‑gen communication stacks. As a Staff engineer you will act as a technical leader and subject‑matter expert, architecting software systems, driving technical decisions across teams, and mentoring engineers across a diverse set of technological backgrounds to design devices, build and manufacture hardware, architect and implement software, and collaborate in an agile and fast‑paced environment.

Required Technical Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong focus on native/embedded systems development. Experience developing and working with a large complex C++ codebase.
• Expert‑level proficiency in C++ (C++11/14), including modern language features, templates, and memory management. Expertise in highly efficient design and implementation for (disk, RAM and compute) constrained devices.
• Experience with C++ in bare‑metal and RTOS‑based environments (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, ThreadX, or similar).
• Expertise in implementing large complex systems. Expertise in CMake, Makefile and other build systems. Expertise in cross‑compilation.
• Expertise in threading, processes and other Linux systems knowledge. Expertise in asynchronous and messaging‑based designs (e.g., protobuf/nanopb).
• Expertise in IP networking and networking software development.
• Experience with static and dynamic analysis tools.
• Hands‑on experience with wireless communication protocols relevant to IoT and security devices, such as Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth/BLE, Zigbee, Z‑Wave, 802.15.4, LoRa, or cellular (LTE‑M/NB‑IoT).
• Proficiency with Git and CI/CD pipelines adapted for embedded environments.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical decision‑making across teams, including evaluating trade‑offs and building consensus around architectural approaches. Ability to analyze the architecture of a large existing codebase.
• Ability to analyze & architect C++ code for various use cases, such as monolithic vs modular design, static vs dynamic memory allocation, etc.
• Implementing software patterns such as state machines, event‑driven design, and publish/subscribe models across large codebases.
• Drive cross‑platform software design that supports multiple hardware variants or product SKUs from a shared codebase.
• Strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to create and own technical design documents, architecture decision records (ADRs), and system‑level specifications.
• Skilled at translating complex technical constraints and firmware requirements into a clear set of tasks and communicating with product managers, hardware engineers, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to proactively identify systemic risks, technical debt, and architectural shortcomings, and to champion long‑term remediation plans.

Nice to Have

• Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience with porting glibc, musl or bionic.
• Experience with formal software development processes such as Agile/Scrum adapted for hardware‑dependent teams.
• Functional knowledge of security standards and protocols, such as TLS/SSL, OpenSSH, ECDSA/ECDH, AES256, HMAC, SHA256.
• Experience with designing firmware for video pipeline systems, image signal processing, or streaming protocols (RTSP, H.264/H.265) is a strong plus.
• Experience with Android and AOSP.
• AI‑aided design and software architecture.
• Contributions to open‑source embedded projects.

Please note that sponsorship of new applicants for employment authorization, or any other immigration‑related support, is not available for this position at this time.

Alarm.com offers competitive pay and benefits inclusive of subsidized medical plan options, an HSA with generous company contribution, a 401(k) with employer match, and paid holidays, wellness time, and vacation increasing with tenure. Paid maternity and bonding leave, company‑paid disability and life insurance, FSAs, well‑being resources and activities, and a casual dress work environment are also part of our outstanding total rewards package!

Alarm.com is the leading cloud‑based platform for smart security and the Internet of Things. More than 7.6 million home and business owners depend on our solutions every day to make their properties safer, smarter, and more efficient. And every day, we’re innovating new technologies in rapidly evolving spaces including AI, video analytics, facial recognition, machine learning, energy analytics, and more. We’re seeking those who are passionate about creating change through technology and who want to make a lasting impact on the world around them.

Base Salary Range: $144,250 – $169,126.82 USD