Head Of Embedded Systems

Bullock Tech Talent Partners; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A global sports technology firm in Cape Town is seeking a Head of Embedded Systems to lead the development of ultra-low-latency tracking systems. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on development, requiring over five years of embedded systems experience, and proficiency in C / C++. The ideal candidate will work in a hybrid environment, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to drive innovation in sports performance analytics.

Benefits

Hybrid work flexibility

Qualifications

• 5+ years in embedded systems development, with leadership experience.
• Expertise in ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers.
• Proficient in Embedded C / C++ and real-time systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical vision and execution of the embedded software platform.
• Lead architecture and development of firmware for tracking devices.
• Mentor and grow an embedded engineering team.

Skills

Embedded systems development

Leadership of technical teams

Embedded C / C++

RTOS (Zephyr, FreeRTOS)

Wireless communication systems

Tools

GCC

CMake

Git

Job description

Company

Cutting-edge Global Sports Technology and Data

Location

Cape Town (Hybrid)

Introduction

Our client is redefining what's possible in live sports performance analytics. They build ultra-low-latency tracking systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and motion sensing to capture every movement of players and balls in real time. You'll work at the intersection of embedded systems, wireless networking, and sports innovation, from bare-metal firmware to cloud infrastructure. Their engineering culture thrives on curiosity, experimentation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. If you're a hands‑on technical leader who thrives on building precision real-time systems that perform flawlessly in the chaos of live sport, this is your arena.

The Role

As Head of Embedded Systems, you will own the technical vision and execution of our client's embedded software platform. You'll lead the architecture and development of firmware for UWB tracking devices and motion-sensor wearables, ensuring ultra-reliable, low-latency communication and sub-millisecond synchronisation across dense wireless networks. You will guide a team of embedded engineers through the full development lifecycle — from concept and architecture through to production, deployment, and live testing in stadium environments. This is a deeply technical leadership role that requires both strategic direction and hands‑on technical excellence.

Technical Leadership

Own and evolve the architecture, design, and implementation of our client's embedded firmware stack. Define technical strategy across the embedded ecosystem: bootloaders, drivers, RTOS task structures, communication protocols, and test frameworks. Establish and enforce robust development processes, including CI / CD pipelines, automated testing, and documentation. Set and monitor software quality metrics, ensuring performance, reliability, and maintainability.

Team & Project Leadership

Lead, mentor, and grow a world‑class embedded engineering team. Collaborate with hardware, backend, and product teams to deliver end‑to‑end system performance and scalability. Oversee planning, prioritisation, and delivery using Agile / Lean methods. Contribute to hiring, roadmap planning, and long‑term technology strategy in collaboration with senior management.

Hands‑On Development

Design and develop firmware in C / C++ for bare‑metal and RTOS environments (e.g. Zephyr, FreeRTOS). Implement and optimise low‑level drivers, data acquisition pipelines, and communication stacks (SPI, I2C, UART, USB, BLE, UWB). Conduct hardware bring‑up, field testing, and debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analysers, and RF tools. Support manufacturing, calibration, and production test workflows.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years in embedded systems development, including 5+ years in leadership of technical teams or embedded engineering functions.
• Deep expertise with ARM Cortex‑M (STM32) microcontrollers.
• Mastery of Embedded C / C++, RTOS (Zephyr, FreeRTOS), and bare‑metal real‑time systems.
• Strong understanding of build systems (Makefiles, GCC, CMake), toolchains, and version control (Git).

Proficiency with memory interfaces (EEPROM, SD, Flash) and communication peripherals (SPI, I2C, UART, USB).

Competence in Python for scripting, testing, and data analysis.

Experience developing wireless communication systems — ideally UWB, BLE, or Wi‑Fi.

Nice to Have

Experience with sensor fusion and IMU data processing.

Understanding of RF systems, antenna design, and signal integrity.

Familiarity with Linux, networking (TCP / IP), and bootloaders.

Experience with CI / test frameworks or hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing.

Exposure to cloud‑connected IoT architectures and data streaming systems.

Personal Attributes

Strategic thinker with strong hands‑on engineering instincts. Passionate about sports, technology, and building high‑performance systems. Strong communicator and mentor, comfortable in a fast‑paced startup environment with high autonomy, committed to reliability, precision, and performance in every detail.

Reporting To

VP of Engineering

Working Closely With

CTO, Hardware Engineers, Backend Developers, Data Science, and Product Teams

Perks and Benefits

Hybrid work flexibility