Firmware Development Engineer

Kairos Power•Alameda, CA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Kairos Power is seeking an entry-level firmware engineer to join its Plant Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) systems design team. Under the technical guidance of the Reactor Protection System (RPS) Lead Engineer and experienced team members, the engineer will develop, test, and document firmware for reactor protection and related plant systems supporting the KP-FHR reactor technology. The role provides hands-on experience with embedded systems, hardware integration, and disciplined development practices for safety-related applications. The engineer will support firmware for safety-related reactor protection systems—including signal acquisition, protection logic, diagnostics, and equipment interfaces—as well as related plant investment protection and non-safety control or test systems as needed. Work includes implementing and debugging embedded firmware in C/C++, supporting FPGA logic development when applicable, maintaining requirements and design documentation, and developing and executing tests. The engineer will also support laboratory hardware bring-up and integration, configuration management, system testing, and commissioning activities as assigned. The position requires learning and following applicable nuclear quality assurance, software lifecycle, and cybersecurity procedures.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Entry-level position suitable for recent graduates or candidates with 0–2 years of relevant experience; coursework, laboratory work, capstone projects, internships, and personal projects are acceptable.
Foundational programming skills in C or C, with experience developing and debugging software for a microcontroller, embedded processor, or comparable project platform.
Understanding of digital logic and basic embedded concepts such as memory, interrupts, timers, state machines, and real-time behavior.
Ability to read technical documentation and basic schematics, troubleshoot methodically, and document designs, test results, and issues clearly.
Familiarity with version control, such as Git, and basic software testing practices; willingness to work within a documented engineering development process.
Strong attention to detail, clear communication, and ability to work collaboratively, ask questions, and learn from technical reviews.

Nice To Haves

Exposure through coursework or projects to VHDL/Verilog and FPGA tools, Python test automation, laboratory instruments, or interfaces such as SPI, I2C, and UART.
Interest in nuclear energy and safety-critical engineering.
Familiarity with requirements traceability, verification and validation, or quality assurance.

Responsibilities

Support firmware development for plant instrumentation and control systems, including safety-related reactor protection systems and related plant investment protection and non-safety control or test systems.
Implement and debug embedded firmware in C/C++ and support FPGA logic development where applicable, following approved requirements, designs, and coding practices.
Assist with firmware requirements, interface definitions, design descriptions, and traceability between requirements, implementation, and verification evidence.
Develop and execute unit, integration, and regression tests; record results, investigate anomalies, and support independent verification and validation activities.
Support laboratory hardware bring-up and firmware integration using schematics, component datasheets, debuggers, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers under appropriate supervision.
Use version control, configuration management, code reviews, and change control to maintain reproducible builds and documented firmware releases.
Collaborate with hardware, controls, systems, and test engineers to resolve interface issues and support system testing and commissioning activities as assigned.
Learn and follow applicable nuclear quality assurance, software lifecycle, and cybersecurity procedures; raise technical concerns promptly and incorporate review feedback.