Senior Systems Engineer

Afero•Los Altos, CA

25d

About The Position

Afero is hiring a Senior Systems Engineer to define how device, firmware, mobile application, and cloud components work together across its IoT platform. The engineer will define and review device protocols, troubleshoot issues across system boundaries, and serve as a technical contact for manufacturers and partners integrating products with Hubspace. The role works closely with firmware, mobile, platform, and product teams, turning integration challenges into clear technical specifications. The position covers device integration and protocols, device-to-cloud systems, and partner and cross-team enablement. It includes bringing new devices from prototype through production, contributing to multi-protocol product architecture, improving provisioning workflows, and communicating technical decisions to both engineering and business stakeholders. The position is full-time, with a US base salary range of $150,000–$220,000. Afero also offers competitive benefits and equity compensation, without specifying the benefits in detail.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in systems, embedded, or IoT engineering, with real products shipped at volume.
Clear, precise technical writing and the ability to explain trade-offs to non-engineers.
Experience working directly with contract manufacturers or external hardware partners.
Hands-on experience with serial and wireless protocols, including UART, SPI, I2C, and BLE, and reading and writing protocol specifications.
Understanding of IoT cloud patterns, including MQTT, REST APIs, device provisioning, and OTA updates.
Ability to debug across device, mobile app, and cloud layers and quickly isolate root cause.
BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of embedded C on common MCUs such as Nordic nRF52, ESP32, or STM32, and familiarity with logic analyzers, sniffers, and debuggers.
Matter, Thread, or Zigbee experience, including bridges or border routers.
Familiarity with smart home ecosystems and voice-assistant integrations.
Experience with GCP, including BigQuery, Pub/Sub, and Cloud SQL, or similar cloud data platforms.
Background in consumer electronics certification or retail product launches.
Experience with HVAC, lighting, locks, or other connected home device categories.
Scripting in Python or a similar language for test tools, log analysis, and automation.

Responsibilities

Define, review, and correct device-level protocols, including UART, BLE, and SPI, between supplier MCUs and the Hubspace Module.
Map device capabilities to Afero’s attribute and data models, and maintain accurate specifications as products evolve.
Lead device bring-up and debugging with manufacturers, from first prototype through production.
Assess supplier-proposed designs and changes on technical merit, and flag scope impacts to product owners early.
Trace and resolve issues spanning firmware, the Hubspace mobile app, and cloud services.
Contribute to architecture for multi-protocol products such as gateways and bridges using BLE, proprietary RF, and Matter.
Work with platform engineers on GCP-hosted services, data flows, and cost/performance trade-offs, including BigQuery, Pub/Sub, and Cloud SQL.
Improve factory and provisioning workflows so devices onboard reliably at production scale.
Serve as technical liaison to manufacturers, retail and platform partners, and voice-assistant ecosystems.
Write protocol specifications, integration guides, design reviews, and decision memos.
Translate technical details into concise recommendations for product and executive stakeholders.
Support Partner Enablement tickets and mentor other engineers on systems thinking and debugging.