Director of Embedded Software Platform

Brelle•Los Alamitos, CA

About The Position

Brelle Energy is hiring a Director of Embedded Software Platform to lead the architecture and development of the embedded software foundations powering its next-generation energy and powertrain systems. The role establishes technical direction across the embedded software stack, connecting hardware, enabling system functionality, and supporting reliable operation across products and customer programs. Depending on the candidate’s background, the work may span low-level firmware, drivers, real-time operating systems, platform architecture, software infrastructure, development frameworks, and integration across multiple electronic control units (ECUs). This is a hands-on technical leadership role. The Director will make foundational architecture decisions, partner closely with electrical and systems engineering, and build the team and engineering practices needed to take complex embedded systems from early development through production. The role balances product delivery with platform investments that support reuse, reliability, and scale. Brelle is a California-based, venture-backed company developing energy and powertrain systems for high-performance mobility. Its work includes battery pack architecture, full-stack software, and automated manufacturing. The company values ownership, cross-disciplinary collaboration, technical rigor, initiative, and follow-through.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in embedded software, firmware, systems software, or a closely related engineering discipline.
Significant experience designing, architecting, and shipping embedded software for complex, hardware-dependent products.
Track record of owning substantial technical scope, such as an embedded software platform, multiple ECUs, or a sophisticated firmware stack.
Strong understanding of embedded software architecture and the interactions between software, electronics, and physical systems.
Strong foundation in C/C++ and ability to engage deeply in technical design, implementation, and debugging discussions.
Experience with real-time operating systems, embedded Linux, or comparable embedded operating environments.
Experience with low-level software, drivers, middleware, hardware abstraction, communication protocols, or system integration.
Experience taking embedded systems through development, testing, validation, and production deployment.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives across multiple engineering disciplines.
Experience leading engineers, setting technical direction, and establishing engineering standards that improve software quality and execution.
Strong judgment in balancing architectural quality, technical debt, delivery commitments, and long-term platform needs.
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in automotive, electric vehicles, motorsport, aerospace, robotics, or other demanding embedded systems environments.
Experience developing software platforms shared across multiple ECUs, hardware variants, vehicle programs, or products.
Experience with automotive communication and diagnostics, including CAN, CAN-FD, Ethernet, LIN, or UDS.
Experience building embedded software infrastructure, including build systems, automated testing, continuous integration, and release tooling.
Familiarity with vehicle electrical/electronic architectures, software-defined vehicles, or distributed control systems.
Familiarity with functional safety standards such as ISO 26262, automotive software development practices such as ASPICE, or embedded cybersecurity.
Experience with secure boot, firmware updates, or production software configuration and lifecycle management.
Experience building or scaling an embedded software organization in a fast-moving engineering environment.

Responsibilities

Own the technical direction and evolution of the embedded software platform, establishing foundations for current and future products.
Define software architecture across embedded stack layers, including operating systems, drivers, middleware, hardware abstraction, communication interfaces, diagnostics, and application integration.
Establish software interfaces and architectural boundaries that support reuse across ECUs, hardware configurations, and customer programs.
Evaluate architecture, technologies, and tools, balancing performance, reliability, maintainability, development speed, and hardware constraints.
Develop a platform roadmap that balances immediate product needs with long-term technical investments.
Identify opportunities to simplify the software stack, improve consistency, and accelerate development across programs.
Lead embedded software development from architecture and early hardware bring-up through system integration, validation, release, and production deployment.
Drive resolution of complex technical issues spanning firmware, hardware, communications, and system behavior.
Establish standards for code quality, testing, configuration management, version control, and software release.
Build or evolve development tools and infrastructure, including automated testing, build systems, continuous integration, and debugging workflows.
Ensure software is designed for reliability, diagnosability, and maintainability under real-world operating conditions.
Guide technical decisions on firmware updates, cybersecurity, functional safety, and software lifecycle management as required by product and customer needs.
Partner with electrical, battery, systems, and vehicle engineering teams to define software requirements, hardware interfaces, and integration strategies.
Ensure embedded software architecture supports system-level performance, reliability, safety, and functionality requirements.
Drive alignment on technical dependencies, interface definitions, and integration priorities across engineering disciplines.
Work directly with engineers to evaluate design trade-offs, debug difficult issues, and move solutions from prototype to production.
Balance platform standardization with the flexibility required for different hardware configurations and customer programs.
Build and develop a high-performing embedded software team, hiring exceptional engineers and establishing clear technical ownership.
Set technical direction while empowering engineers to make decisions and own outcomes.
Establish effective engineering practices, including architecture reviews, code reviews, testing standards, and release processes.
Develop technical leaders and foster accountability, sound engineering judgment, and continuous improvement.
Align team priorities and resources with product milestones, platform development, and the broader engineering roadmap.