Firmware Engineering Manager

Monarch Quantum•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Monarch Quantum is seeking a Manager of Firmware Engineering to build and lead its firmware engineering foundation as the company scales. This is a hands-on role in a fast-paced startup environment, with responsibility for developing firmware engineering practices and contributing to firmware for complex laser, photonic, and electro-optical systems. The manager will lead firmware projects from requirements development and system architecture through implementation, integration, verification, validation, qualification, production, and support. The role includes developing FPGA- and SoC-based architectures that combine HDL fabric with embedded C/C++ processors, and working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver company projects on schedule and within budget. Employment requires access to export-controlled information, and applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Requirements

Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
7 or more years of relevant experience, including pursuit of relevant higher education; experience in a startup or technology company is ideal.
Proven record of building and leading engineering teams that successfully execute multiple parallel, complex firmware and embedded-systems projects through development, qualification, fielding, and maintenance.
Strong technical background in FPGA and embedded development, including FPGA solutions combining HDL fabric with embedded C/C++ microprocessor architectures.
Strong understanding of digital logic, computer architecture, electronics, and hardware/firmware interfaces for complex electro-optical and controls systems.
Experience with FPGA development toolchains such as Xilinx Vivado/Vitis, including simulation, integration, verification, implementation, and debug.
Experience architecting and developing hybrid SoC and soft-microprocessor solutions for real-time embedded applications.
Proficiency in C/C++ for real-time embedded development and familiarity with HDL-based FPGA development.
Experience leading teams through complex FPGA implementation and timing-closure challenges involving dense IP, high-speed interfaces, and algorithmic processing.
Experience with device-level and high-speed communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, Ethernet, serial interfaces, and SerDes.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), because the position requires access to export-controlled information.
Creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats; passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.

Nice To Haves

Relevant experience in a startup or technology company.

Responsibilities

Recruit, develop, and manage a team of firmware engineers.
Contribute to the architecture, design, integration, verification, and transition to production of firmware for complex laser, photonic, and electro-optical systems.
Create and maintain company-wide firmware engineering processes, standards, development environments, coding practices, and tools.
Execute firmware engineering projects from requirements development and system architecture through implementation, integration, verification, validation, qualification, and production support.
Lead development of FPGA- and SoC-based architectures using HDL fabric, embedded C/C++ processors, and hybrid hardware/firmware solutions for high-speed and high-precision control applications.
Plan and execute company projects as part of the cross-functional leadership team, including firmware scope, schedule, budget, technical risk identification, and mitigation strategies.
Partner with Electrical, Software, Optical, Mechanical, Systems, Manufacturing, Program Management, and Project Engineering teams to ensure system-level integration.
Establish and enforce firmware engineering best practices, including architecture and design reviews, code reviews, coding standards, design patterns, configuration management, performance optimization, and verification practices.
Establish development, integration, verification, release, and production-support processes suitable for low-to-mid volume, high-complexity systems and future scaling.
Define and maintain hardware/firmware/software interfaces with Electrical and Software teams.
Establish and maintain firmware architecture and design documents, interface control documents, coding standards, verification plans, test procedures, release documentation, and traceability to system requirements.
Lead troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action activities for firmware and system-level issues during development, production, and field deployment.