About this opportunity
Stealth Startup lists this Firmware Engineer opportunity in san diego, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
We are a stealth-mode deep-tech startup dedicated to connecting the world’s assets so they can be actively tracked, managed, and protected. We are building a device similar to an industrial-strength AirTag that communicates directly with a satellite and is orders of magnitude less expensive than competing, less powerful tracking solutions. To do this, we’ve invested heavily in breakthrough communications, semiconductor, and satellite technologies down to the chip and waveform level. We bring together experience and expertise in chip design and manufacturing, electrical engineering, software, and commercial and government BD to create products that enable ubiquitous tracking of all the world’s assets.
The tech is proven, the TAM is gargantuan, and the founders have signed LOIs and conditional orders worth several billion dollars in ARR across applications ranging from supply chain logistics to laptop and cattle tracking.
Our Team and Values:
Joining our team means stepping into a small, high-caliber team united by a clear mission. We’ve invested over 150 years of combined effort into building our product, and we operate on two core values: high trust and high performance. We move quickly, care about doing things the right way, and actively seek out different perspectives across our multidisciplinary team. We believe that small, focused groups can create transformative technology. On our team, you’ll have real ownership, support when you hit hard problems, and a meaningful role in shaping the future of asset tracking.
We are looking for a Modem Firmware Engineer who can bridge the gap between silicon and application software. You will be responsible for developing the low-level code that brings our custom hardware to life, optimizing for extreme battery life, and ensuring reliable communication with satellite constellations.
What You’ll Do
Help us build an AI-first firmware organization that builds best-in-class application and modem firmware and robust location technology such as GPS processing, GEO and LEO multilateration, and peer multilateration
Architect and Develop: Design and implement robust firmware for embedded microcontrollers (ARM Cortex-M) in Rust, C/C++
Hardware Bring-up: Collaborate closely with hardware engineers to bring up new boards, verify peripheral interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART), and debug hardware/software interactions
Power Optimization: Implement aggressive power-management strategies to ensure multi-year battery life on energy-constrained devices
Comms & Protocols: Develop and optimize drivers for satellite modems and proprietary RF transceivers
Software Infrastructure: Build bootloaders, over-the-air (OTA) update mechanisms, and manufacturing test suites
Design the 'Intelligence at the Edge': Develop algorithms for on-device asset state detection (motion, environment, geofencing) to minimize satellite airtime.
Testing & Validation: Use logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and JTAG/SWD debuggers to troubleshoot complex timing issues and race conditions
Ownership: Lead the firmware release process, from local testing to field deployments
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent
2–10+ years of embedded firmware development experience (leveling is flexible based on experience; we are building a full firmware team, so candidates of all seniorities are invited to apply)
Strong proficiency in Rust and/or C and/or C++ in resource-constrained environments
Proven track record of shipping firmware for physical hardware products
Confidence working independently in a fast-paced, "build-it-from-scratch" environment
Nice-to-Haves
Experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr) or bare-metal development
Knowledge of digital signal processing (DSP) or software-defined radio (SDR)
Experience with low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) or satellite communication protocols
Python proficiency for automation, scripting, and tooling
Understanding of embedded security best practices (secure boot, encryption)
Why You’ll Love Working Here
High ownership and autonomy
Ability to shape hardware design practices and influence product direction
Meaningful stock options / equity
Flexible hours and occasional WFH
High growth potential as we scale
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Worksite address
san diego, CA, 92189, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.