Electrical Engineer, Firmware Development

Vitamix•Olmsted Township, OH

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

Vitamix is seeking an Electrical Engineer, Firmware Development who will lead the design, development, and validation of embedded firmware and real-time control systems for motor-driven consumer products. Collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams, this role drives the firmware lifecycle from architecture through DVP validation, ensuring compliance with performance, safety, and regulatory standards. Additionally, this position establishes firmware quality standards, supports existing product lines, and explores next-generation embedded technologies to fuel the New Product Development (NPD) pipeline.

Requirements

4-7 years related experience in embedded firmware systems development
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering required
Deep expertise in embedded C for MCU-based systems
Strong grasp of MCU architecture (memory, clocks, interrupts DMA)
Proven experience designing RTOS-based real-time systems (FreeRTOS, ThreadX), task structures, and concurrency management
Proficiency writing and reviewing low-level peripheral drives (GPIO, ADC, PWM, Timers, UART, SPI, I2C) and vendor HAL integration
Extensive experience with open/closed-loop control (PID/FOC), torque control, soft-start, stall detection, and thermal model tuning
Experience implementing safety-critical firmware (IEC 60730-1 Annex H, watchdogs, fail-safe state machines) and leading firmware FMEAs.
Knowledge of low-power optimization (sleep modes, clock scaling) and EMC-safe firmware design (timing-safe PWM, EMI-aware state management).
Experience with communication stacks (BLE, Wi-Fi, NFC, Modbus, OTA, updates) and sensor integration (NTC thermistors, position sensors).
Hands-on board bring-up, schematic reading, basic soldering, and expert use of lab tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD).
Proficient with IDEs (STM32CubeIDE, MPLAB, Keil), version control (Git), and scripting (Python, Bash).
Experience with static analysis (MISRA C, PC-lint), automated test frameworks (HIL) and CI/CD pipelines for firmware.
Familiarity with embedded SDLC, requirements traceability, MCU platform sourcing strategy, and ERP systems (Oracle/SAP).
Skilled at quickly diagnosing issues, identifying root causes, and developing and implementing effective solutions.
Ability to clearly articulate reasoning, explain decisions, and effectively convey complex ideas to different audiences.
Ability to draw valid inferences from available information, understand the implications of different interpretations, and apply knowledge to new situations.
Ability to establish, maintain, and cultivate positive relationships with individuals, teams, and external stakeholders to foster a collaborative environment
Consistently maintains high standards of quality and accuracy across different tasks and projects.
Highly reliable, proactive self-starter; can be counted on to complete assignments on time

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Engineering or related field is a plus

Responsibilities

Serve as the organization-wide firmware expert, guiding Engineering, Production, and Quality teams on real-time embedded systems, motor control algorithms, and safety-critical software.
Design and implement embedded MCU architecture, including RTOS task structures, real-time scheduling, low-level drivers, HAL integration, and peripheral management (GPIO, ADC, PWM, I2C/SPI).
Develop and own advanced motor control firmware (PID/FOC, soft-start, stall detection) and safety-critical state machines compliant with functional safety standards like IEC 60730-1.
Manage the complete firmware lifecycle—from translating system requirements into specifications to guiding firmware through formal STEP stage-gate reviews, FMEAs, and regulatory approvals (UL/IEC).
Establish firmware coding standards, static analysis, and code review processes; drive the adoption of automated testing and CI/CD workflows to boost release velocity and product quality.
Lead comprehensive firmware testing strategies, including unit, module, integration, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing to support DVP/PVP execution.
Implement communication and wireless connectivity protocols (UART, SPI, BLE, Wi-Fi, OTA) alongside secure protocol stack integration for connected product lines.
Design robust diagnostic frameworks (error coding, crash logging) and lead root-cause analysis for field failures or performance anomalies.
Support legacy product lines via structured change control, while evaluating future MCU platform selections based on performance, cost, and portability goals.