Senior Firmware Engineer

About

Clientmind Recruiting is searching for a Senior Firmware Engineer for a growing technology company in Greenbelt, MD. This role is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining firmware and software in various applications.

Responsibilities

Firmware Development

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for a variety of microcontroller-based systems, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, and power efficiency.
• Architecture & Design: Collaborate in defining system architecture and firmware design, including low-level driver development for sensors and I/O interfaces, hardware abstraction layers, and communication protocols.
• Debugging & Troubleshooting: Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex firmware and system issues, utilizing tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers.
• Code Optimization: Optimize firmware for performance, memory usage, and power consumption while adhering to real-time and safety-critical requirements.
• Collaboration & Communication: Work closely with hardware engineers, software teams, and product managers to ensure seamless integration of firmware with hardware and system-level applications.
• Documentation: Produce high-quality documentation, including specifications, design documents, test plans, and user manuals to support firmware development and maintenance.
• Testing & Validation: Develop and execute unit tests, integration tests, and system-level validation to ensure firmware quality and robustness.
• Mentorship: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers, guiding them in best practices and solving complex engineering challenges.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in embedded systems, firmware development techniques, and industry trends, and contribute to the improvement of engineering practices.

Required Qualifications

• Clearance: US Citizen with Secret level security clearance or ability and willingness to obtain a clearance.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Experience: Minimum of 8+ years of hands-on experience in embedded firmware development with a proven track record of successful project execution.
• Technical Skills:
  • Strong proficiency in C/C++ programming languages for embedded systems.
  • Extensive experience with microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex-M, STM32, i.MX), including hardware-level programming and peripheral interfacing.
  • Expertise in both bare metal and RTOS (Real-Time Operating Systems) embedded software architectures.
  • Experience with communication protocols such as UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, etc.
  • Proficient with debugging tools such as JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and IDE debuggers.
  • Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git, SVN).
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex embedded system issues.
• Documentation: Ability to produce clear, concise documentation and reports.
• Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Experience: Experience with FPGA development, low-level hardware design, or system-on-chip (SoC) integration.
• Embedded Linux: Experience programming on custom embedded Linux platforms running on embedded application processors. Familiarity with building custom Linux features and power/speed optimization.
• Software Skills: Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Python) for automation or testing purposes.