The Embedded Software Engineer designs, develops, and supports Wi-Fi radio firmware and driver software for Ezurio's wireless connectivity products, working closely with the RF hardware development team in the USA and Taiwan, program management, and customers to deliver reliable, innovative, and resilient embedded software. The ideal candidate is comfortable working close to the metal - register-level access, bootloaders, and drivers in a resource-constrained environment - as well as building the connectivity stacks that sit above them, and brings strong debugging and root-cause analysis skills to complex hardware/software and RF interaction issues. Deep 802.11 protocol expertise is not required; we are willing to train a strong embedded/RTOS candidate on the Wi-Fi-specific pieces. Experience developing software for network protocols (Wi-Fi, TCP/IP, or similar) is a useful plus. This role is preferably based in hybrid work arrangement in Akron, Ohio. Remote candidates will also be considered. Legal authorization to work in the US is required.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Wi-Fi Radio Firmware Development
- Design, develop, and maintain firmware for Wi-Fi radio subsystems, including MAC/PHY interfacing, calibration routines, and channel/RF management.
- Bring up Wi-Fi silicon on new hardware platforms: port and validate vendor SDKs, drivers, and radio calibration data for new designs.
- Develop and maintain radio firmware within an RTOS environment (e.g., ThreadX or similar) and host-side Wi-Fi drivers under Linux, with real-time scheduling, interrupt handling, and register-level access to radio and host interfaces (SDIO, PCIe, USB, DMA).
- Write clean, well-documented, testable code following Ezurio coding standards and secure development practices.
- Support 802.11 protocol-layer behavior (association, authentication, power-save, rate adaptation) and power management/wake-on-wireless design in coordination with vendor stacks.
Debug, Test & Quality
- Debug complex RF firmware issues using tools such on hardware where on-device debug access (e.g., JTAG/debug ports) is limited, using debug output, code analysis, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and Wi-Fi packet capture tools (e.g., Wireshark) and JTAG/SWD
- Develop and execute unit, functional, integration, and system-level tests; work with SWQA teams to contribute to test infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines.
- Reproduce, isolate, and resolve field and customer-reported Wi-Fi issues (throughput, roaming, association drops, coexistence) and drive issues to root cause and closure.
- Participate in code reviews and enforce quality gates across the software development lifecycle.
Cross-Functional & Customer Collaboration
- Partner with the RF hardware team (USA and Taiwan) during schematic review, antenna design, and prototype bring-up to flag firmware-relevant design considerations early.
- Work directly with customers and program managers to clarify Wi-Fi firmware requirements, scope, and acceptance criteria for co-development programs.
- Support manufacturing, NPI, and DVT/PVT activities with RF test tools, calibration procedures, and production-line firmware as needed.
- Provide clear technical status updates to program managers and contribute to schedule and risk discussions.
Documentation & Process
- Produce and maintain technical documentation: design specifications, API references, porting guides, and release notes.
- Maintain source control hygiene, branching strategy, and release/versioning discipline across active programs.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of embedded software development practices within the Custom SOM & SBC group.
REQUIREMENTS
- Strong proficiency in C working in embedded, memory-constrained, real-time systems.
- Solid understanding of processor architecture, memory management, and real-time constraints in embedded systems and working with register access.
- Proven debugging skills across the hardware/software boundary, using debug output, JTAG/SWD, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and ideally Wi-Fi packet capture tools.
- Demonstrated persistence and rigor in debugging and driving issues to true root cause rather than applying surface-level fixes.
- Ability to read schematics and datasheets, and to communicate effectively with RF hardware engineers on radio and interface details.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting technical status to customers and internal stakeholders.
- Effective collaborator in a fast-paced, globally distributed team environment (coordinating with the RF hardware team in the USA and Taiwan), able to manage multiple concurrent programs.
- Ideally hand-on RTOS experience: task scheduling, interrupt handling, and priority management in a resource-constrained system. Note that specific RTOS experience e.g. ThreadX, Zephyr, or similar matters less than a working understanding of RTOS concepts and real hands-on time in one.
- Working knowledge of Linux (kernel modules, device drivers, kernel/user-space interfaces) is a plus, since our Wi-Fi drivers run under Linux.
- Experience with host interfaces such as SDIO, PCIe, or USB is most relevant; familiarity with SPI, I2C, and UART is also useful.
- Exposure to 802.11 MAC-layer concepts (association, authentication, power-save, rate adaptation) is a plus; we will train a strong embedded/RTOS candidate who doesn't yet have this.
- Working knowledge of version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and issue tracking tools such as Jira.
- Chipset vendor SDK exposure is a plus: Cypress/Infineon, NXP, Qualcomm/Atheros (QCA) or similar Wi-Fi silicon vendors.
- Familiarity with RF/PHY concepts (calibration, gain control, channel switching) is a plus.
- Prior experience with another wireless or networking protocol stacks e.g. Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, Cellular is valuable even without direct Wi-Fi background.
- Power management firmware experience (sleep states, wake-on-wireless) is a plus, especially for battery-powered or IoT platforms.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field. Equivalent professional experience considered in lieu of degree.
- 5+ years of embedded software or firmware development experience in an electronics design and manufacturing environment.
- Direct experience with Wi-Fi or other wireless radio firmware/driver bring-up is strongly preferred; we will train a strong embedded/RTOS candidate without direct Wi-Fi background.
- Experience supporting customer co-development programs (NRE-based or joint development agreements) is a plus.
- Experience with wireless certification, RF coexistence, or low-power design considerations is a plus.
Ezurio recognizes that an individual with a disability may require accommodation to enable them to successfully perform a job function. Should you require such accommodation, please indicate the job function and suggested accommodation. Ezurio will attempt to make reasonable accommodation.