Embedded Systems Engineer

Location

San Francisco

Full time

On-site

Engineering Embedded & Firmware

• $155K – $225K Offers Equity

We need an Embedded Systems Engineer to own the layer between hardware and the application stack — board bring‑up, BSP, drivers, and real‑time control across Archimedes' subsystems. You'll work directly with EE, mechanical, and our robotics software team to make sure the system actually talks to itself under field conditions.

• Board bring‑up and BSP development on custom hardware
• Linux kernel and driver work including device drivers, DMA, interrupts, and userspace interfaces
• Real‑time control loops for motion, power, and sensor subsystems
• Hardware and software co‑design alongside EEs and mechanical engineers
• Debug at the metal using oscilloscope, logic analyzer, JTAG, and bus traces
• Boot, flash, and update infrastructure for embedded targets including A/B partitions and OTA

• 3 to 8+ years building embedded systems on real hardware
• Strong C and C++ on Linux, plus comfort with Python for tooling
• Hands on Linux kernel, driver, and BSP experience on at least one custom board
• Real‑time systems experience including , Xenomai, or RTOS
• Comfortable debugging at the hardware level with scope and logic analyzer

Defense companies, robotics, drones, automotive embedded, aerospace, or hardware startups doing real‑time embedded work.

• Yocto or Buildroot
• ROS2 integration
• Safety‑critical or hard real‑time experience
• CAN, EtherCAT, or industrial bus experience

BS or MS in EE, CE, CS, or equivalent hands‑on experience.

• Extreme bias for action. You ship working code on real hardware, not slideware.
• You debug from first principles, not intuition alone.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration in a startup environment.
• Clear communicator across electrical, mechanical, optical, and software teams.
• Self directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told.

• Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.
• Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact.
• Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck.
• Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built.

Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show.

• Competitive salary + equity
• United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days
• Travel to field test events and range days
• Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks
• E-bike / scooter stipend (Up to $500)
• Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work

This role requires access to export‑controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Compensation Range: $155K - $225K