Firmware Engineering Manager

Firmware Engineering Manager (permanent position) – Morrisville, NC

Our client is seeking a Firmware Engineering Manager who will lead the firmware engineering team while remaining a hands‑on contributor. A large part of your time will be spent doing billable engineering work: designing, debugging, and delivering embedded and wireless systems for clients across a variety of customer markets. You will own day‑to‑day technical execution, guide engineers through complex challenges, and mentor and grow the firmware engineering team.

This is a permanent position working a hybrid schedule on site in Morrisville, NC, with a starting salary range of $145,000. Candidates must reside in the Raleigh‑Durham metro area; non‑local candidates willing to relocate may be considered. No visa sponsorship or subcontracting arrangements are available.

• Perform detailed firmware design and development work on client projects as a billable contributor.
• Estimate project tasks and timelines to inform statements of work.
• Interface with prospective and existing clients to understand and manage technical expectations.
• Ensure firmware solutions are well‑architected, practical, and aligned with project objectives.
• Lead and enforce design reviews and contributions from the engineering team to ensure technical quality, maintain standards, and ensure adherence to customer and product requirements.
• Provide critical technical oversight and guide engineers through technical challenges.
• Drive root‑cause analysis and document lessons learned to improve future execution.
• Assist and lead on recovery plans when problems arise in projects and tasks (budget, schedule, etc).
• Manage a team of 5‑10 firmware engineers, including workload oversight, daily technical direction, and personnel administration.
• Hold regular one‑on‑ones and provide direct, constructive feedback on performance and professional development.
• Identify and develop technical leads within the team, empowering them to support daily project operations.
• Mentor engineers on processes, design standards, and engineering best practices.
• Inspire and motivate the team by aligning business and individual goals.
• Foster a collaborative, communicative team culture; recognize and celebrate contributions from all team members regardless of seniority or background.
• Exemplify and reinforce the company values.
• Establish and maintain quality standards.
• Drive continuous improvement through process definition and disciplined execution.
• Collaborate with the Director of Engineering to allocate resources and staff projects effectively, ensuring optimal utilization and setting future work up for success.
• Identify and manage third‑party vendor relationships.
• Provide Dev Ops support for team tooling, CI/CD infrastructure, and developer productivity as needed.
• Establish and manage non‑project firmware budgets (tools, training, etc.).
• Review and support the hiring process.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional peers to establish best practices and business‑wide efficiencies.
• Lead cross‑discipline brainstorming sessions.
• Maintain a smooth and well‑defined onboarding experience for new staff.

• 10+ years of firmware industry experience, preferably in embedded design and/or wireless products.
• 1+ years in a management or equivalent leadership position.
• Mastery of C and/or C++.
• Strong understanding of firmware and embedded system architecture and design.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering firmware projects end‑to‑end.
• Proficiency with embedded debugging tools: multimeters, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.
• Ability to read schematics and understand impacts of logic gates, transistors, voltage dividers, level shifters, and other common components.
• Ability to read hardware datasheets, user manuals, and implement firmware drivers.
• Comfortable working across multiple concurrent projects in a fast‑paced consultancy environment.
• Strong communication skills necessary to interact with project managers and clients.
• Must reside in or be willing to relocate to the Raleigh‑Durham metro area (hybrid schedule). No visa sponsorship or fully remote arrangements available.
• Ability to travel up to 5% annually…