Senior Firmware Engineer, Bluetooth

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California, +1 more state.

📋 Description

• Take charge of the BLE Stack: Design, implement, and maintain the Bluetooth connectivity layer within our Pod ecosystem. Establish GATT services, characteristics, and connection strategies to ensure reliable, secure, and power-efficient communication.

• Optimize for Always-On Devices: Lead the management of radio-on time, advertising intervals, connection parameters, and PHY selection while ensuring low-latency synchronization of biometric data.

• Guarantee Bulletproof Interoperability: Provide a seamless connectivity experience across various iOS and Android devices, OS versions, and real-world RF environments. Utilize sniffers, protocol analyzers, and on-device telemetry to troubleshoot cross-stack issues alongside mobile and Pod gateway teams.

• Deliver and Maintain OTA at Scale: Design and fortify the secure OTA DFU pipeline, enabling us to confidently deploy firmware across a global fleet of devices with minimal friction and zero failures.

• Bring Up New Silicon: Collaborate with hardware teams on board bring-up, antenna tuning, regulatory certification (FCC/CE/Bluetooth SIG qualification), and integration of silicon-vendor stacks for our Nordic-based platform.

• Global Collaboration: Work closely with our manufacturing partners in China to develop RF and BLE production tests, ensuring the timely shipment of high-quality, fully-validated devices.

• Effective Remote Communication: Excel in a hybrid work environment, ensuring clear and impactful communication across firmware, mobile, hardware, and ML teams.

⛳️ Requirements

• Established BLE Expertise: Over 5 years of experience in embedded software engineering, with a minimum of 3 years focused on shipping production BLE firmware.

• Extensive Protocol Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the Bluetooth stack end-to-end — including GAP, GATT, SMP, L2CAP, link layer behavior, advertising and scanning, connection events, pairing/bonding, and BLE security (LE Secure Connections, key management).

• Familiarity with Silicon Vendor Stacks: Practical experience with at least one vendor BLE stack and SDK (Nordic SoftDevice / nRF Connect SDK / Zephyr, Apple/Broadcom, TI, or similar). Proficient in reading and debugging vendor stack source code.

• Embedded Fundamentals: Proficient in C/C++ for resource-constrained microcontrollers; skilled in Python or NodeJS for host-side tooling. Experienced with peripheral drivers and bus protocols (UART, I2C, SPI), DMA, and low-power design.

• Power Discipline: Proven track record in achieving ultra-low-power targets by measuring and optimizing radio duty cycle, sleep current, and connection parameters in line with real battery-life budgets.

• Shipping at Scale: Experience in launching and maintaining large fleets of wireless devices, including monitoring connectivity telemetry, sync reliability, and OTA firmware updates in the field.

• Hardware Acumen: Ability to interpret data sheets, schematics, and antenna matching networks for hardware bring-up and RF troubleshooting. Proficient with logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and BLE protocol sniffers (Ellisys, Frontline, nRF Sniffer, or equivalent).

• Adaptive Problem Solver: A dynamic, iterative approach to debugging challenges that span firmware, RF, mobile OS, and physics.

• Travel Readiness: Willingness and ability to travel frequently to China for supplier and contract manufacturer support.

🏝️ Benefits

• Offers Equity