Staff Software Engineer, Hub Platform

SmartThings; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 139,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

HSA with employer contribution

401k with matching

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

SmartThings, a leading IoT ecosystem, seeks a Staff Software Engineer to own Hub Platform tech strategy. You’ll partner with firmware, security, cloud, and product teams, shaping hub evolution while mentoring engineers. Hybrid work in Minneapolis with a focus on reliability, security, and AI-enabled development.

You’ll influence architecture, conduct reviews, and drive cross-functional collaboration across the org, ensuring scalable, secure hub platforms and edge-to-cloud connectivity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of production software engineering experience at staff level.
• Strong knowledge of embedded Linux systems and boot chain validation.
• Strong knowledge of device security fundamentals (mTLS/PKI, attestation).
• Experience with distributed, cloud-based backends (AWS).
• Strong knowledge of AI development tools and practices.
• Experience with containerization (Docker) for services.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive long-term technical vision for Hub Platform domains.
• Architect scalable solutions for evolving domain needs.
• Guide architecture for reliability and security in firmware update pipelines and hub-to-cloud connectivity.
• Help define AI-assisted development and operational tooling strategy.
• Collaborate with firmware, security, cloud and product teams.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship across engineers.

Skills

Staff leadership

Embedded Linux

Security basics

Cloud backend

AI development

Containerization

Cross-functional

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor's Degree in CS/CE or related field

Tools

Docker

GitHub Actions

Job description

Description

We’re SmartThings, one of the leading IoT ecosystems in the world, creating the most effortless way for anyone to create a smart home. We're a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung with corporate offices in Minneapolis and the Bay Area.

Department

Hub and Edge

Location

Minneapolis, MN

About The Team

We’re SmartThings, one of the leading IoT ecosystems in the world, creating the most effortless way for anyone to create a smart home. We're a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung with corporate offices in Minneapolis and the Bay Area. More than 430 million people worldwide use SmartThings to control and manage their connected life. SmartThings delivers simple, powerful experiences across Samsung’s leading portfolio of phones, TVs, and appliances. We also offer the most versatile smart home experience as an open platform with a rich partner ecosystem (think IKEA, SONOS, Honeywell, and so many more). As a founding member of Matter, we are a leader in the industry to help make smart homes more secure, reliable and seamless to use. Come be a part of the leading edge of IoT innovation!

The Hub Platform team owns foundational software, infrastructure, and operational practices that power SmartThings hubs in the field, and we're building the architecture that lets us support future hub platforms as they come online. The SmartThings Hub acts as a secure edge gateway that translates and bridges local, cross-protocol IoT devices to the SmartThings cloud, enabling centralized routing and execution across a unified ecosystem. We work across three pillars:

• Hub Systems & Architecture: the embedded Linux OS, secure boot chain, firmware rollout process, and hardware platform abstraction
• Hub to Cloud Connections & Attestation: secure hub-to-cloud connectivity, device claim, and attestation so every hub in the field is uniquely identified and trusted
• Hub Developer Operations: the CI/build infrastructure that keeps the entire hub engineering org shipping reliably and the tooling that keeps engineers developing efficiently

Our work sits at the intersection of embedded firmware and cloud services, and it directly determines the stability, security, and update reliability that millions of connected homes rely on every day.

About The Role

We're looking for a Staff Software Engineer to be a technical owner and leader for the Hub Platform team. You'll help drive long-term technical strategies for our core domains. You'll operate with autonomy to bring clarity to complex, cross-functional challenges. You’ll act as a go-to expert and point of contact for major initiatives, and partner closely with firmware, security, cloud, and product teams to shape how SmartThings hubs evolve. You'll also mentor engineers across the team, including senior engineers, and help guide how the team adopts AI-assisted development and operational practices.

This role is hybrid, 3 days/week in our Minneapolis Office (on iconic St Anthony Main across from Downtown...with paid attached parking!).

The pay range for this role is $139,000 to $198,000, with an annual bonus target of 20%.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Strategy Ownership: Define and drive long-term technical vision for one or more Hub Platform team domains so that our solutions scale to support future hub platforms.
• Lead Complex Initiatives: Act as a technical owner for large, complex, cross-functional projects, architecting scalable solutions for evolving domain needs.
• Architect for Reliability & Security: Guide architecture and design decisions for systems like the firmware update pipeline, hub OS platform abstraction, B2B partner integrations, or hub-to-cloud connectivity, with stability, security, and operational excellence as first-class concerns.
• AI Practices & Vision Collaboration: Help define how the team uses AI-assisted development and operational tooling, evaluating where AI can meaningfully improve velocity and quality, and set a forward-looking vision for responsible AI adoption in the organization.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with firmware, security, cloud infrastructure, and product management to keep technical direction aligned with product requirements and business needs.
• Mentor & Elevate the Team: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers at every level, including senior engineers, and help build engineering practices that raise the bar across the org.
• Operational Excellence & On-Call: Participate in observability, incident response, and on-call rotations supporting the production firmware delivery, hub connectivity, and attestation services that the global hub fleet depends on.

What You Bring On Day One (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field
• 8+ years of production software engineering experience, with a demonstrated track record operating at a Staff-level technical leadership capacity
• Strong knowledge of embedded Linux systems and boot chain validation, including kernel/system-level security, secure boot, and firmware signing
• Strong knowledge of device security fundamentals: mTLS/PKI, attestation, secure provisioning, and trusted execution environments (e.g. TrustZone/OP-TEE)
• Strong experience designing and operating distributed, cloud-based backend systems (AWS) that support firmware delivery, device connectivity, or IoT fleets at scale
• Strong knowledge of AI development tools and practices
• Experience with software virtualization and packaging (Docker or similar containerization tools) for building, testing, and deploying services
• Proven ability to lead architecture and design reviews, set technical direction across teams, and bring about simple solutions to complex problems
• Strong track record of cross-functional collaboration with firmware, security, product, and partner engineering teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience translating technical strategy for both technical and non-technical audiences

Desired Skills

• Proficiency in Rust
• Experience with IoT fleet management: device provisioning, monitoring, and lifecycle management at scale
• Experience with IoT connectivity protocols and standards (Matter, Thread, MQTT)
• Experience with CI/CD infrastructure and build systems supporting embedded firmware (e.g. GitHub Actions runners, reproducible build pipelines)
• Experience supporting partner ecosystem programs (e.g. OEM/partner integration models)

SmartThings Benefits

We offer an attractive compensation package with comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health; an HSA with employer contribution; life & disability insurance; FSAs for health and dependent care expenses; a competitive 401k with a 5% employer match, and more.

All of our employees enjoy unlimited PTO, 12 paid holidays, and a generous parental leave policy (8 weeks fully paid parental leave and 8 more fully paid weeks for childbirth recovery leave).

Eligible employees benefit from our education reimbursement program, and all employees enjoy access to learning resources through O’Reilly.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging is embedded into our culture and our work, and everyone has frequent opportunities to join forums and groups and participate in ongoing projects.

We offer a parking stipend to cover the monthly garage cost. EV chargers are also onsite.

In-office catered lunches on Thursdays.

Access to the onsite gym.

Base compensation range for this position is $139,000 to $198,000 annually. Actual base within this range will depend on many factors including experience, skills, technical expertise and market alignment. In addition, this role is eligible for a 20% annual target bonus based heavily on individual performance.

At SmartThings, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all. If you require accommodations to participate in our hiring process or to perform the requirements of the job, we will work with you to meet your needs in compliance with applicable laws. Please reach out to [e-mail] and a member of our Talent Acquisition team will connect with you further!