Senior Firmware Engineer
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Before you apply
SalaryNo pay range posted
LocationMountain View
Work modeon-site
Typefull-time
SenioritySenior
Experience2+ yrs
DepartmentSoftware
Company size201–500 people
PostedMay 1, 2026 · 6mo ago
Verified live3d ago
May no longer be actively hiring
Posted by the company on May 1, 202655% of this company's open roles have been listed for 90+ daysNo pay range listed, though California requires one
At a glanceSummarised by Seekless from the posting.
Bachelor's or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Robotics
2+ years of experience in embedded firmware development for real-time control systems
Experience with low-level system interfaces (I2C, SPI, Ethernet, USB, CAN bus)
Experience with micro-controller firmware development across ARM Cortex-M and similar architectures
Proficiency in C/C++ and experience with low-level debugging (JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes)
Experience with real time operating systems (RTOS) (FreeRTOS, Zephyr RTOS)
Familiarity with SPI, I²C, UART, PWM, ADC, and sensor interface design
Demonstrated ability to write reliable, well-structured, and maintainable embedded code in safety-critical environments
Evidence of shipping real-time-critical products
Embedded Linux software development. Board Support Package (BSP) development and integration on Linux-based platforms
Linux kernel programming: device tree, Kconfig, device drivers, kernel modules.
Experience with GMSL2 and MIPI-CSI2 camera drivers (V4L2).
Experience with Field-Oriented Control (FOC) implementation for BLDC motor drives
Yocto Project / Bitbake for custom distribution builds.
Skills
EtherCAT
RTOS
FreeRTOS
Zephyr RTOS
I2C
SPI
Ethernet
USB
CAN bus
ARM Cortex-M
C
C++
JTAG
logic analyzers
oscilloscopes
UART
PWM
ADC
Embedded Linux
BSP
Linux kernel
GMSL2
MIPI-CSI2
V4L2
FOC
BLDC
Yocto Project
Bitbake
About the company
At Rhoda AI, we’re building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. Our robots are designed to be generalists capable of operating in complex, real-world environments and handling long-tail edge cases, made possible by our cutting edge research and end-to-end system design. We’ve raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up to make generalist robotics a reality.
About the role
You will own the development of Rhoda’s low-level firmware stack for distributed real-time control across humanoid platforms. This role centers on deterministic communication, control-loop synchronization, and embedded software robustness in an EtherCAT environment spanning dozens of joints, sensors, and distributed controllers. You will design, implement, and validate firmware components that guarantee sub-millisecond coordination between motor drivers, safety controllers, and perception nodes — bridging the mechanical, electrical, and control domains.
This role is an MTS with a clear path to grow!
What You’ll Do
•
Select and tune RTOS; define priorities and scheduling; optimize interrupt and DMA paths; harden watchdogs and recovery; measure and guard timing budgets
•
Design, implement, and maintain low-level firmware for real-time motion control nodes over EtherCAT
•
Develop synchronization and communication layers ensuring deterministic cycle times (<1ms)
•
Configure and optimize EtherCAT masters and slaves (distributed clocks, mailbox protocols, PDO mapping)
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Implement real-time safety mechanisms (Safe Torque Off, watchdogs, and heartbeat monitoring)
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Collaborate with Electronics, Controls, and Systems teams to define timing budgets and data interfaces
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Contribute to the architecture of the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and firmware APIs for actuator control
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Develop unit, HIL, and integration tests for firmware validation
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Profile and optimize ISR and DMA paths to minimize latency and jitter
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Support bring-up and debugging of custom actuator controllers and sensor boards
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Document firmware architecture, test results, and safety compliance evidence for design reviews
What We’re Looking For
•
Bachelor’s or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Robotics
•
2+ years of experience in embedded firmware development for real-time control systems
•
Experience with low-level system interfaces (I2C, SPI, Ethernet, USB, CAN bus)
•
Experience with micro-controller firmware development across ARM Cortex-M and similar architectures
•
Proficiency in C/C++ and experience with low-level debugging (JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes)
•
Experience with real time operating systems (RTOS) (FreeRTOS, Zephyr RTOS)
•
Familiarity with SPI, I²C, UART, PWM, ADC, and sensor interface design
•
Demonstrated ability to write reliable, well-structured, and maintainable embedded code in safety-critical environments
•
Evidence of shipping real-time-critical products
Nice to Have (But Not Required)
•
Embedded Linux software development. Board Support Package (BSP) development and integration on Linux-based platforms
•
Linux kernel programming: device tree, Kconfig, device drivers, kernel modules.
•
Experience with GMSL2 and MIPI-CSI2 camera drivers (V4L2).
•
Experience with Field-Oriented Control (FOC) implementation for BLDC motor drives
•
Yocto Project / Bitbake for custom distribution builds.