Embedded Hardware & Firmware Engineer

Job Description:

This is an onsite position based in Alameda, California. Candidates must be able to work on-site at our Alameda office. Please note that we are unable to provide relocation assistance for this role. Additionally, we are not able to sponsor employment visas (including H-1B) for this position; candidates must have current, unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

Simco-Ion Technology Group Simco-Ion, located in Alameda CA, is an Illinois Tool Works' company. We are the world's largest manufacturer of ionization and process monitoring products. Since 1936, we've been providing solutions for electrostatic issues in a wide range of industries, such as semiconductor, life sciences, and advanced display.

Position Summary This role is responsible for the design, development, integration, and validation of advanced electronics and embedded systems used in semiconductor manufacturing, scientific instrumentation, industrial automation, and precision control applications. Work centers on PCB design, firmware development, board bring-up, system integration, and hardware-software co-design.

The engineer applies working knowledge of electronics, microcontrollers, real-time embedded systems, and firmware architecture, along with hands-on experience developing and debugging hardware platforms. Background in ionization, electrostatic discharge (ESD) control, plasma, high-voltage, semiconductor process control, vacuum systems, or precision instrumentation is beneficial for this role.

This is an onsite role located in Alameda California. Responsibilities Embedded Firmware Develop and maintain low-level C/C++ firmware for microcontrollers and embedded processors.

Support real-time control logic, hardware abstraction layers (HAL), and device drivers.

Hardware & PCB Design Design and support review of multi-layer PCBs using Altium Designer or equivalent CAD tools.

Incorporate ESD protection, grounding/shielding, and ESD-safe handling practices into board design and manufacturing support.

Board Bring-Up & Integration Bring up new hardware platforms and debug using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers.

Validate signal integrity, power delivery, communication interfaces, and susceptibility to ESD events. Communication Interfaces Implement and support drivers forSPII²CUART CANEthernet USBSupport integration with sensors, actuators, and process control hardware.

Semiconductor, Ionization & ESD Systems Support electronics for plasma and ionization/static-neutralization systems (e.g., ionizing bars, ion emitters).Support ESD control and monitoring efforts, aligning with standards such as ANSI/ESD S20.20.Tools & Interfaces Assist in building diagnostic and operator-facing applications using C# and .NET.Support communication between firmware and desktop-based tools.

Documentation & Process Produce technical documentation, design specs, and test procedures.

Participate in design reviews and root-cause investigations.

Position Qualifications/Requirements

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree in:
Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or Related Engineering Discipline Technical Expertise5+ years of embedded hardware and firmware development experience.

Solid C/C++ programming for embedded systems, including real-time and bare-metal environments.

Working knowledge of microcontrollers, memory-mapped I/O, and hardware abstraction layers (HAL).Familiarity with Linux-based embedded systems.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced development environment.

Proficient with standard Bench test equipment, i.e. Oscilloscope, DMM, etc.

Hardware Skills Hands-on PCB design experience using Altium Designer or similar tools.

Working understanding of analog/digital electronics, power supplies, signal integrity, and EMI/EMC and ESD considerations.

Experience with board bring-up, system integration, hardware validation.

Communication Protocols Experience implementing and debugging: SPI, I²C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, USBTools & Development Environment

Experience with :
Git, Git Hub, Git Lab, Bitbucket, Azure Dev Ops, or equivalent source control systemsCI/CD pipelines

Issue tracking and configuration management tools

Hardware debugging tools and laboratory instrumentation

Preferred Qualifications Firmware Embedded  C/C++RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar)
Bootloaders Firmware architecture

Device drivers

Production test…