Principal Firmware Engineer

Boston Engineering Corporation•Waltham, MA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Boston Engineering is seeking a hands-on Principal Firmware Engineer to join their team. This role is primarily focused on embedded and firmware development, including RTOS-based systems, hardware bring-up, driver development, and board-level debugging. The engineer will collaborate closely with electrical and mechanical teams, commanding and controlling hardware. This position involves owning embedded software at both tactical and strategic levels, ensuring correct system architecture, identifying risks, and unblocking the team. The role also entails setting technical direction, streamlining software processes, establishing best practices, and improving the embedded engineering standard across projects. The role requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance and is restricted to US persons due to access to export-controlled technology.

Requirements

Proven ability in leading the design, development, and optimization of embedded and firmware systems for robotics, autonomous, or maritime platforms.
Proven ability in streamlining and documenting software processes to accelerate projects and ensure repeatability, while maintaining high-quality standards.
Proven ability in architecting and implementing firmware tightly integrated with custom hardware, sensors, and control systems.
Proven ability in writing and reviewing RTOS-based firmware (FreeRTOS, ROS2, Zephyr), including task design, synchronization, memory management, and timing analysis.
Proven ability in reviewing schematics and PCB layouts to identify firmware impacts, integration risks, and potential design issues early in the development cycle.
Proven ability in debugging complex system issues using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and other bench tools, and determining root cause across software, firmware, and hardware.
Proven ability in building and maintaining benchtop development setups (“roadkills”) to enable early firmware development prior to final hardware availability.
Proven ability in ensuring firmware meets real-time performance, reliability, and mission-critical requirements.
Proven ability in leading technical design reviews, architecture discussions, and roadmap planning with a focus on system-level risk and feasibility.
Proven ability in clearly communicating technical concepts, tradeoffs, risks, and status to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
Proven ability in anticipating and addressing technical bottlenecks that span firmware, hardware, and system integration.
Experience working in challenging, hands-on, and customer-driven engineering environments.
Closely collaborating with electrical, mechanical, systems, and product teams.
Demonstrating proficiency in standard embedded development tools, git version control, build systems, and debugging environments.
Strong organizational skills and clear written and verbal communications.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Demonstrated success and capability in acting as the technical escalation point when embedded or system-level issues block progress.
Demonstrated success and capability in mentoring and coaching engineers on embedded firmware architecture, debugging techniques, and best practices.
Demonstrated success and capability in writing high-quality, maintainable, and well-documented firmware and low-level software.
Demonstrated success and capability in developing and maintaining embedded system software, including firmware, device drivers, and communication stacks.
Demonstrated success and capability in performing thorough testing and debugging to ensure system functionality, reliability, and safety.
Demonstrated success and capability in proposing and implementing technical solutions that improve system robustness, debuggability, and performance.
Demonstrated success and capability in breaking down ambiguous or novel problems into executable engineering plans, including scope, risk, and estimates.
Demonstrated success and capability in supporting software configuration management and repeatable development workflows.
Demonstrated success and capability in working across R&D and product environments with an understanding of long-term maintainability and transition to production.
BS (acceptable) or MS (preferred) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
7+ years of experience in embedded/firmware development, including 3+ years in a senior or technical lead role.
Fluency in C and C++ for embedded systems, as well as Python for tooling and testing.
Hands-on experience with RTOS environments (FreeRTOS, ROS2, Zephyr, or similar).
Experience developing software on embedded targets such as STM32, ARM-based MCUs/SoCs, x86, PIC32, or similar.
Experience with I2C, SPI, UART, Ethernet, GPIO, and low-level hardware interfaces.
Familiarity with cloud and/or other networks/servers for data offload, analysis, and management.
Experience debugging networking stacks and board-level communication issues is a strong plus.
Experience authoring and reviewing software requirements, specifications, and design documentation, and leading effective design reviews.
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines for embedded systems.
Familiarity with ISO 9001 and CMMI quality frameworks is desirable.
Experience with maritime systems, robotics, uncrewed systems, or military platforms is highly desirable.
Exposure to navigation, localization, sensor fusion, or autonomy systems is a plus.
Experience contributing to proposal development, feasibility studies, or early technical concepts.
Background or interest in machine learning, computer vision, or AI as applied to embedded or robotic systems.
Familiarity with safety-critical or mission-critical software development practices.
Understanding of Agile methodologies and practical DevOps workflows in embedded environments.
Experience working on government or defense-related programs, including technical documentation and customer interaction.
Experience working within or supporting quality management systems (QMS).

Nice To Haves

MS degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
Experience debugging networking stacks and board-level communication issues.
Familiarity with ISO 9001 and CMMI quality frameworks.
Experience with maritime systems, robotics, uncrewed systems, or military platforms.
Exposure to navigation, localization, sensor fusion, or autonomy systems.
Experience contributing to proposal development, feasibility studies, or early technical concepts.
Background or interest in machine learning, computer vision, or AI as applied to embedded or robotic systems.
Familiarity with safety-critical or mission-critical software development practices.
Understanding of Agile methodologies and practical DevOps workflows in embedded environments.
Experience working on government or defense-related programs, including technical documentation and customer interaction.
Experience working within or supporting quality management systems (QMS).

Responsibilities

Leading the design, development, and optimization of embedded and firmware systems for robotics, autonomous, or maritime platforms.
Streamlining and documenting software processes to accelerate projects and ensure repeatability, while maintaining high-quality standards.
Architecting and implementing firmware tightly integrated with custom hardware, sensors, and control systems.
Writing and reviewing RTOS-based firmware (FreeRTOS, ROS2, Zephyr), including task design, synchronization, memory management, and timing analysis.
Reviewing schematics and PCB layouts to identify firmware impacts, integration risks, and potential design issues early in the development cycle.
Debugging complex system issues using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and other bench tools, and determining root cause across software, firmware, and hardware.
Building and maintaining benchtop development setups (“roadkills”) to enable early firmware development prior to final hardware availability.
Ensuring firmware meets real-time performance, reliability, and mission-critical requirements.
Leading technical design reviews, architecture discussions, and roadmap planning with a focus on system-level risk and feasibility.
Clearly communicating technical concepts, tradeoffs, risks, and status to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
Anticipating and addressing technical bottlenecks that span firmware, hardware, and system integration.
Acting as the technical escalation point when embedded or system-level issues block progress.
Mentoring and coaching engineers on embedded firmware architecture, debugging techniques, and best practices.
Writing high-quality, maintainable, and well-documented firmware and low-level software.
Developing and maintaining embedded system software, including firmware, device drivers, and communication stacks.
Performing thorough testing and debugging to ensure system functionality, reliability, and safety.
Proposing and implementing technical solutions that improve system robustness, debuggability, and performance.
Breaking down ambiguous or novel problems into executable engineering plans, including scope, risk, and estimates.
Supporting software configuration management and repeatable development workflows.
Working across R&D and product environments with an understanding of long-term maintainability and transition to production.
Contributing to proposal development, feasibility studies, or early technical concepts.
Supporting software configuration management and repeatable development workflows.
Working within or supporting quality management systems (QMS).