Firmware Engineer

Job Summary

Firmware Engineer at Chariot Defense, a defense technology company that designs and manufactures power products for the U.S. military and its allies.

About the Role

We're looking for a Firmware & Embedded Controls Engineer to own the low-level software that commands Chariot's power electronics, enforces our safety systems, and keeps the hardware running reliably when it's deployed in the field.

Key Responsibilities

• Write and tune firmware that commands inverters, chargers, and battery systems to convert and move electrical energy correctly, safely, and efficiently.
• Build real-time fault-detection and protection logic that reacts in milliseconds to protect the hardware and people operating near it.
• Implement control logic that keeps power components within safe operating temperatures under load and across environmental extremes.
• Collect readings from sensors across the system, package and export data for monitoring, recording, and analysis.
• Implement operator command and interaction with the system in the field.
• Architect and deploy firmware across bare-metal targets and real-time operating systems.
• Work with electrical, power electronics, and hardware engineers to manage the tight coupling between electrical I/O and firmware behavior.

What We’re Looking For

• Top-notch engineering intuition and first principles thinking.
• Ability to independently identify critical information gaps and apply effort to close them.
• Undaunted by imperfect or absent datasets, making sound decisions to achieve a product end-state.
• Persistent in finding root causes through data-driven methods.
• Gratified by helping peers succeed and building a robust team culture.

Qualifications

Required:

• BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• 3+ years writing firmware for hardware that ships and runs in the field.
• Hands-on bare-metal and RTOS development.
• Fluency in C/C++ for resource-constrained, real-time targets.
• Demonstrated experience bringing up and debugging firmware on real hardware.

Preferred:

• Production Rust experience on embedded targets.
• Firmware for power electronics, motor control, or battery management.
• Experience with safety-critical or fault-tolerant systems.
• Experience with ISO26262, DO-178C, or other software functional safety standards.
• Embedded comms interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART).

Role Requirements

• Onsite role based in San Bruno, CA.
• Willingness to support 10% travel, domestically and internationally.
• Ability to work on your feet for extended periods in a shop setting and lift 50lbs.

Salary

A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $130,000-$180,000 annually. Compensation packages also include early-stage equity and access to company-sponsored benefit plans.