Job Title: Firmware ManagerJob Description

The Firmware Manager will be responsible for leading a team of 8-10 firmware engineers in a fast-paced, innovative environment. This role involves overseeing multiple projects, providing mentorship, and managing the development team. Projects range from small, 8kb flash microcontrollers to fully-featured embedded Linux systems with socket programming. The position requires tackling design challenges including very small form factors, low power consumption, analog sensing, and both wired and wireless communication technologies (IoT sensors). The Firmware Manager will report to the Director of Electrical Engineering and work within an engineering organization consisting of 70 technical personnel with capabilities spanning from concept design to production. This is an on-site position with flexibility to work from home up to 1-2 days per week based on project priorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop common workflow, process, procedures, configuration management, and quality assurance methodologies to improve efficiency and maintain the quality of firmware deliverables.

• Provide guidance and support to engineers to enhance their skills and career growth, oversee daily operations, task assignments, and project timelines to ensure smooth workflow and timely completion of deliverables.

• Focus on managing project deliverables and timelines, processes, tools, and personnel.

• Collaborate with marketing and innovation teams on product requirements to deliver high-quality firmware on time that meets Voice of Customer requirements.

• Understand firmware architecture to identify technical limitations and drive the creation of common libraries for code reuse, enhancing overall efficiency of the development team(s).

• Evaluate robust, low-power microcontroller-based firmware written in C to ensure efficient architectures and common platforms for mid to high volume applications.

• Lead development teams through design, code review, prototyping, bring-up, debugging, and verification and validation testing to ensure high-quality deliverables.

• Collaborate with the hardware electrical engineering team to select components with suitable I/O and features that meet customer requirements, while standardizing to increase volume and reduce costs.

• Guide teams in the development of new firmware modules/libraries and ensure the creation of comprehensive supporting documentation.

• Research tools and techniques to improve code development and robustness.

• Oversee teams in the development and maintenance of documentation, including software release notes and procedures, using tools like JIRA.

• Support product development plans and act as the liaison to Program Management to ensure that schedule, cost, budget, and performance KPIs are met.

• Audit and support Manufacturing Engineering as needed to maintain efficient high-quality production.

• Manage third-party resources and contract manufacturers to ensure seamless collaboration and efficient project execution.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

• 7-10+ years of relevant experience.

• Technical leadership experience with a history of managing product development teams.

• Experience designing embedded products for high volume applications.

• Proficiency in designing firmware libraries and modular approaches to increase code efficiency.

• Firm understanding of development for wireless and IoT devices.

• Experience with embedded Linux and other embedded operating systems.

• Experience with integration of communication and data handling libraries.

• Familiarity with communication protocol/hardware interface knowledge, such as RS232, Ethernet, USB, SPI, I2C, Flash, EEPROM, ADC/DACs.

• Understanding of basic electrical engineering concepts, including the ability to read schematics and perform basic hardware troubleshooting.

• Broad understanding of lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, meters, and logic analyzers.

• Comprehensive knowledge of the product certification process and design for compliance.

• Experience with leading teams to ensure project success by setting clear goals, holding deadlines, and fostering a culture of continual improvement through regular feedback and process optimization.

• Proactive approach to day-to-day activities, showing motivation and initiative to anticipate challenges and implement effective solutions.

• Experience in design and implementation of embedded software.

• Strong decision-making skills for solving engineering problems.

• Experienced in team-based firmware development processes, software tools, technical specification development and documentation standards, and conducting formal design reviews.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in several areas such as data communication, data logging, A/D, D/A, bootloading, HALs, data acquisition, human-machine interface, low power behavior, localization, controls & intelligent sensor networks.

Work Environment

This is an on-site position with flexibility to work from home up to 1-2 days per week as project priorities permit. The engineering organization consists of 70 technical personnel with in-house capabilities to develop products from concept design through production. The work environment is fast-paced and innovative, requiring collaboration with various teams to achieve high-quality deliverables.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I are embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent

• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection

• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes

• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com (%20actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com) for other accommodation options.