Principal Firmware Engineer

Boston Engineering Corporation•Waltham, MA

21h•$150,000 - $175,000•Onsite

About The Position

Boston Engineering is seeking a Principal Firmware Engineer for an onsite role in Waltham, Massachusetts. The role focuses primarily on embedded software and firmware, including RTOS-based systems, hardware bring-up, driver development, board-level debugging, and close collaboration with electrical and mechanical engineering teams. It combines hands-on engineering with technical leadership: the successful candidate will design, code, debug, integrate, and solve difficult problems while owning embedded software at tactical and strategic levels. The role sets technical direction, identifies risks early, helps unblock the broader team, improves and documents software processes, establishes best practices, and mentors engineers. The work is allocated approximately 40% to hands-on firmware development and debugging, 30% to systems design, 15% to integration, manufacturing, and production support, and 15% to mentoring, reviews, and process improvement. The position is office-based and requires candidates to reside within commuting distance; relocation assistance is unavailable. The role is restricted to US persons because of access to export-controlled technology, and proof of status is required before employment. Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance is required. Travel is minimal.

Requirements

7+ years of embedded or firmware development experience, including 3+ years in a senior or technical lead role.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
Strong C and C++ experience for embedded systems and Python experience for tooling or testing.
Hands-on RTOS experience such as FreeRTOS, ROS2, Zephyr, or similar.
Experience with STM32, ARM-based MCUs/SoCs, x86, PIC32, or similar.
Experience with I2C, SPI, UART, Ethernet, GPIO, and other low-level interfaces.
Experience with Git, embedded development tools, build systems, and debugging environments.
Experience authoring and reviewing software requirements, specifications, and design documentation.
Experience leading technical and design reviews.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Must qualify as a US person under the stated export-control restrictions and provide proof of status before employment.
Must currently reside within commuting distance of Waltham, Massachusetts.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree is preferred.
Experience with maritime systems, robotics, uncrewed systems, or military platforms.
Experience with navigation, localization, sensor fusion, or autonomy systems.
Experience debugging networking stacks and board-level communication issues.
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, ISO 9001, or CMMI quality frameworks.
Experience working in customer-driven R&D and product development environments.
Proposal development, feasibility studies, or early-stage technical concepts.
AI, machine learning, or computer vision applied to embedded or robotic systems.
Safety-critical or mission-critical software development.
Government or defense-related program experience.
Agile, DevOps, or quality management systems.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and optimization of embedded and firmware systems.
Write and review RTOS-based firmware using FreeRTOS, ROS2, Zephyr, or similar technologies.
Architect firmware integrated with custom hardware, sensors, and control systems.
Develop firmware, device drivers, and communication stacks.
Review schematics and PCB layouts to identify firmware impacts and integration risks.
Debug complex software, firmware, and hardware issues using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and other bench tools.
Build and maintain benchtop development setups ("roadkills") for early firmware development.
Lead technical design reviews, architecture discussions, and roadmap planning.
Act as the technical escalation point when embedded or system-level issues block progress.
Mentor engineers on firmware architecture, debugging, and best practices.
Break down ambiguous problems into executable engineering plans.
Support development workflows, integration, manufacturing, and transition to production.
Communicate technical concepts, tradeoffs, risks, and status to engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
Improve and document software processes and establish best practices.
Identify risks early and help unblock the broader engineering team.