Lead Firmware Engineer, Manufacturing

About ALSO

Also, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian, is a team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators focused on creating vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet global mobility challenges. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.

We’re looking for a hands-on engineering leader to build and own manufacturing software, and to lead our Manufacturing Firmware & Test Systems team. This team will own the software infrastructure required to successfully build, validate, certify, update, and sustain products across our global manufacturing network. The team serves as the bridge between Product Firmware, Validation & Tools Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Operations, suppliers, and contract manufacturers.

This is a technical leadership role for someone who enjoys solving complex system‑level problems and working directly with manufacturing partners. You will lead a small team of firmware and test station engineers while remaining deeply involved in technical execution. The ideal candidate has a strong embedded firmware background, experience supporting products through manufacturing ramp and sustaining, and a willingness to spend time onsite with suppliers and contract manufacturers as needed.

This is a hands‑on role where candidates will be expected to write maintainable, well designed firmware and spend most of their time making direct code contributions.

• Define and maintain manufacturing firmware release, deployment, and update strategies across multiple manufacturing partners.
• Design robust firmware update and recovery processes for production environments.
• Lead development and support of manufacturing test software and test stations.
• Drive improvements in manufacturing test coverage, throughput, reliability, and diagnostics.
• Collaborate across firmware, hardware, and validation engineering teams to ensure manufacturing requirements are incorporated in product firmware and EOL tests are implemented with full coverage.
• Act as the primary software engineering interface to contract manufacturers, suppliers, compliance, and manufacturing operations teams.
• Lead investigations into factory escapes, yield issues, production failures, and field-return trends, and manufacturing related firmware issues.
• Develop scalable processes that reduce recurring factory support burden on product engineering teams.
• Lead a small team of software engineers who work across multiple microcontrollers, products, and test stations.
• Establish operating processes, ownership boundaries, and technical standards.

• BS or MS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 6+ years of experience developing embedded software or firmware for shipped hardware products.
• Experience supporting products through NPI, manufacturing ramp, and sustaining phases.
• Experience debugging complex hardware/software/system interactions.
• Experience working directly with contract manufacturers, suppliers, or factory teams.
• Phenomenal communication skills enabling clear communication in cross-functional internal work and strong relationships with third-party supply chain partners.
• Strong understanding of firmware deployment, version control, production releases, and update mechanisms.
• Proven technical leadership experience, including leading projects or small engineering teams.
• Travel as required during NPI and production ramp (typically 25-40%), primarily within Asia.
• Experience with manufacturing test systems, automated test equipment, or production diagnostics.
• Experience developing factory firmware update and provisioning systems.
• Experience supporting product certification and regulatory testing.
• Experience working with global supply chains and multiple contract manufacturers.
• Willingness to travel internationally as needed (20-40%) to support manufacturing partners, supplier qualification, production builds, and field issue investigations.

The salary for this position ranges from $225,000 - $265,000 per year, depending on experience, qualifications, and location.

• 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.

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 brands across technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces. We’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.