Staff Firmware Engineer, IOT

Ridealso

Palo Alto, US

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior firmware engineers with expertise in wireless technologies and IoT systems, requiring in-office presence in Palo Alto.

Best fit for

Experienced firmware engineers specializing in wireless IoT systems and low-power optimization.
— “6+ years of experience in firmware development, focused on wireless communications on common silicon, especially Nordic.”
Candidates proficient in C programming and real-time operating systems like Zephyr RTOS.
— “Expert in C programming, ideally familiar with C++, Python, and bash scripting”
Collaborative engineers who can bridge hardware, cloud, and mobile teams.
— “Partner with HW, UX, cloud, mobile, and other firmware teams to architect end-to-end IOT systems”

Things to consider

Requires in-office presence in Palo Alto 3-5 days a week.
— “Interested candidates must be willing to come into the office 3-5 days a week.”
Expect to engage with third-party firms and manage their execution.
— “Engage effectively with third party firms by delivering clear specifications and requirements and managing execution”

How to stand out

Highlight specific achievements in optimizing firmware for low-power IoT devices.
— “Optimize firmware for low-power operation, extending the battery life of IoT devices”
Showcase experience with wireless diagnostics tools like Wireshark.
— “Hands on experience debugging in real world environments with wireless diagnostics tooling such as wireshark”
Demonstrate contributions to building CI/CD pipelines in past roles.
— “Develop a robust CI/CD pipeline and advocate for best practices”

Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Senior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

mission-critical firmware development
optimized power consumption
robust security measures
high performance CI/CD pipeline

Typical background

B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering6+ years of firmware development experience

Skills & requirements

Required

Firmware DevelopmentC ProgrammingWireless CommunicationsRTOSSecurity ProtocolsCi/cd Pipelines

Preferred

PythonBash ScriptingZephyr RTOSFreertosMQTTOTACloud Apis

Stack & domain

CC++PythonBash ScriptingBleLteGpsNfcUwbZephyr RtosFreertosWiresharkMqttHttpOtaWireless Regulatory ComplianceCloud ApisCollaborationCommunicationIotFirmware DevelopmentWireless CommunicationsSecurity ProtocolsCi/cd PipelinesAutomationTesting

About the role

Original posting from Ridealso via Ashby

About ALSO.
We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.
As a Staff Firmware Engineer at ALSO, you'll own wireless bring-up, IoT features, and over-the-air updates while partnering across hardware, cloud, and mobile teams to build end-to-end connected systems. You'll write mission-critical firmware, optimize for low-power operation, and implement security protocols that keep ALSO's devices safe and reliable. You'll also help shape how the team works — building CI/CD pipelines, championing automation, and collaborating with QA to ship robust, well-tested code.
What You Will Do
Firmware development of critical hardware validation, wireless bring-up, and IOT-related features, such as over-the-air updates and telemetry upload, interfacing with existing cloud infrastructure where appropriate
Partner with HW, UX, cloud, mobile, and other firmware teams to architect end-to-end IOT systems
Design and implement features, as well as related tests, to deliver mission critical, robust code
Optimize firmware for low-power operation, extending the battery life of IoT devices and supporting energy-efficient designs. Profile power consumption and identify opportunities for optimization on the submodule as well as system level.
Implement robust security measures within firmware to safeguard devices against potential threats, ensuring data integrity, authentication, and encryption protocols are in place.
Develop a robust CI/CD pipeline and advocate for best practices to help grow a high performance team with highly automated tools and testing
Collaborate with QA teams and leverage metrics to monitor for and debug issues
Engage effectively with third party firms by delivering clear specifications and requirements and managing execution
What You Will Bring
B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
6+ years of experience in firmware development, focused on wireless communications on common silicon, especially Nordic.
Expert in C programming, ideally familiar with C++, Python, and bash scripting
Past experience working with wireless technologies (BLE, LTE, GPS, NFC, UWB)
Proficiency with real time operating system concepts including direct experience with Zephyr RTOS and/or FreeRTOS.
Hands on experience debugging in real world environments with wireless diagnostics tooling such as wireshark
Knowledge of basic communication protocol principles - messaging, network, security, compression
Specific experience working with IOT data protocols (e.g. MQTT, HTTP), OTA, wireless regulatory compliance, and cloud APIs a big plus
Highly collaborative mindset and strong communication skills
The salary for this position ranges from $210,000 - $240,000 depending on experience, location, and qualifications.
This role will be based out of Palo Alto, CA. Interested candidates must be willing to come into the office 3-5 days a week.
PERKS & BENEFITS
Robust health coverage — excellent health, dental, and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO, with FSA & HSA options
One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates
Rich fertility and family-building benefits with Progyny
Flexible time off
401(k) match
Why ALSO.
We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there—wherever it is you’re headed.
We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world-class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces.
Together we’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.

Source: Ridealso careers (Ashby)