Job Details

Lead Embedded Software Engineer

?? San Francisco, CA (On-site)

?? Competitive Salary + Equity (up to $300,000 overall comp.)

?? No Visa Sponsorship Available

The Company

A fast-growing, venture-backed startup based in San Francisco is building next-generation technology at the intersection of AI and hardware systems. This is not a corporate environment. It's a young, high-calibre team of engineers and builders operating with speed, autonomy, and obsession over product. You'll be working alongside founding engineers and product thinkers, building systems that define how intelligent software interacts with real-world hardware. Expect rapid iteration, real ownership, and zero bureaucracy.

Think:

• Small, elite team
• Shipping constantly
• Solving genuinely hard technical problems
• High trust, high expectations

The Role

As a Lead Embedded Software Engineer, you'll take ownership of core embedded systems and firmware architecture, helping shape both the technical direction and product capability.

This is a hands-on, build-first role - ideal for someone who wants to write serious code, not sit in meetings.

You'll:

• Design and develop low-level embedded software / firmware
• Work closely with hardware, AI, and product teams to build real-world systems
• Debug and optimise performance across hardware + software interfaces
• Take ownership of critical systems from concept ? deployment
• Help define engineering standards in a scaling startup environment

The work involves building systems that connect software intelligence with physical devices, infrastructure, and test environments

What We're Looking For

This is deliberately selective. We're targeting high-intelligence, high-agency engineers early in their career.

• 3–5 years experience in embedded software / firmware / low-level systems
• Strong background in C/C++ (or similar systems languages)
• Experience working close to hardware (drivers, interfaces, debugging)
• Degree from a top-tier university (Computer Engineering, EE, CS, or similar)
• Someone who builds for fun — side projects, hacking, curiosity

Ideal profile:

• Naturally technical, obsessive, and fast-moving
• Thrives in startup chaos vs structured environments
• Wants to build something meaningful early in their career

Why Join

• Work with exceptionally smart engineers in a tight-knit team
• Direct exposure to founders and product decisions
• Real ownership — your code will ship and matter immediately
• Be part of a company solving hard, meaningful technical problems
• Strong upside through equity and growth

Who This Isn't For

• Anyone looking for stability over growth
• Engineers who prefer large teams, structure, or slow processes
• Candidates requiring visa sponsorship

If you're the kind of engineer who builds because you love it, and you want to be surrounded by people operating at a similar level - this is worth a conversation.