DevOps Engineer for Embedded Systems - Q

Apple

About The Position

The DevOps Engineer will establish and grow the automation backbone of an embedded engineering team developing embedded software and firmware for edge devices. This foundational, high-impact role will shape how the team develops, tests, and releases embedded software by building CI/CD pipelines, build systems, and test automation that help firmware, DSP, and machine-learning engineers ship faster and with greater confidence. The role owns development automation, including automating cross-compilation and firmware builds, integrating hardware-in-the-loop testing, and establishing continuous integration that identifies problems early. The engineer will collaborate closely with embedded engineers to address workflow challenges and with the team leader to define the team’s automation strategy. As a new function on the team, the position offers significant ownership and influence over tooling and process decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in a DevOps, build/release engineering, or automation-focused software role.
Hands-on experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, such as GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins, for embedded systems.
Understanding of embedded communication protocols and interfaces such as I2C, SPI, UART, and CAN, together with hardware debugging tools such as a logic analyzer.
Experience in an embedded, firmware, or hardware-oriented development environment.
Strong scripting skills in Python, Bash, or an equivalent language for automation.
Solid experience with Git and version-control workflows.
Experience with build systems and compiled languages.
Good communication skills and ability to collaborate closely with engineers to understand and solve workflow needs.
Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills.
Experience with agile development methodologies.
A passion for building innovative products.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop testing, test automation frameworks, or lab automation.
Experience with embedded build systems.
Familiarity with containerization such as Docker and infrastructure-as-code concepts.
Knowledge of firmware deployment mechanisms, including flashing tools, bootloaders, and OTA update systems.
Experience with cross-compilation toolchains and target/host build separation.
Familiarity with static analysis, code coverage, and quality tooling for C/C++.
Experience managing self-hosted CI runners or physical test infrastructure.
Working knowledge of macOS environments and command-line tooling.
Exposure to cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines for embedded firmware and software, covering builds, static analysis, unit and integration tests, artifact management, and releases.
Automate cross-compilation and build systems to produce reproducible, versioned firmware artifacts.
Set up and maintain automated test infrastructure, including hardware-in-the-loop test benches and simulation or emulation environments.
Manage and automate firmware release and flashing or deployment processes, including version control, signing, and OTA update pipelines where applicable.
Establish and maintain infrastructure for build agents and test rigs, including self-hosted runners, containerized build environments, and lab hardware.
Introduce and enforce best practices for source control, branching, code review automation, and artifact and dependency management.
Improve developer experience by identifying workflow bottlenecks and automating repetitive tasks.
Set up monitoring, logging, and alerting for build and test infrastructure to ensure reliability and fast feedback.
Document tooling, pipelines, and processes, and mentor engineers on automation practices.
Work with embedded engineers to understand their workflow needs and remove friction from daily work.
Partner with the team leader to define the team’s automation strategy.