RF Embedded Firmware Engineer

Vector Wave is building the Analog Processing Unit (APU), the world’s first programmable neuromorphic processor that runs AI inference on raw radio-frequency waveforms pre-digitization. Conventional RF systems must digitize the signal before any AI inference can occur, fundamentally limiting the latency, power consumption, and performance of wireless edge compute. The APU bypasses these bottlenecks by performing the AI signal processing fully in analog.

We are a venture-backed MIT spinout translating award-winning research into new wireless products with fundamentally new capabilities. With applications spanning defense (electronic warfare, spectrum awareness, anti-jam) and commercial wireless (Wi‑Fi and 5G/6G spectrum sharing, interference management), we are building a team of engineers who are excited to transform the future of wireless communications!

The RF embedded firmware engineer role entails designing and developing the programmable systems for Vector Wave’s APU. In a multi-disciplinary effort, you will work closely with the analog hardware RF engineers and RF machine learning engineers to create subsystems that enable the APU to execute programmable signal processing operations and AI functionalities for wireless edge compute. Your work will be integrated with that of the other subsystem designers to advance the APU.

This is an in-person, full-time role at our office in the Greater Boston area. There may occasionally be some travel to conferences.

• Design subsystems for the APU’s programmable edge compute
• Choose the components and design circuit systems integrating RF components, memory, and microprocessors
• Program the control scheme and interface for the programmable APU subsystem
• Evaluate the performance of the programmable APU subsystem against internal and customer KPIs
• Work with the RF, machine learning, and system engineers to ensure inter-system compatibility

• Expertise programming and interfacing with ADCs, DACs, and on-board memory
• Experience programming microprocessor units (MPUs) and/or RF system‑on‑chips (SoCs) and/or edge FPGAs
• Experience designing and implementing system‑level interfaces between components
• Mathematical maturity and mastery of the physics of designed circuits
• Experience designing and implementing methods of analog system characterization
• Experience implementing environmental hardware stabilization as necessary
• A BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field

• An MS or PhD in a relevant field
• Published experimental demonstrations of any scalable analog circuitry (e.g. AI hardware accelerators, photonic integrated circuits, quantum hardware)
• Development board design experience
• Robust system documentation experience
• Experience using RF signal processing devices & components
• In‑situ/physics-aware/back propagation-free machine learning for AI hardware accelerators
• Experience developing physically accurate digital twins to validate hardware designs through math and simulation
• Understanding of RF signal processing techniques
• RF PCB design & impedance matching experience

• Always be curious. Sometimes the most profound outcomes come from paying attention to the smallest details.
• Truth guides us. Honesty and candor are foundational. Don't delay hard conversations, start them.
• Think out loud. Voicing anything both technical and non-technical helps us solve problems together.
• Mistakes are expected. Perfection is impossible when you're building something new. We want to navigate challenges thoughtfully so we can learn and improve.
• Adaptability is essential. Make the best decision with the information at hand, then be ready to adjust.
• Lean on each other. …