Santa Clara, California
Job Summary
We are seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer contractor to develop real-time embedded firmware for robotic actuator platforms and distributed control systems. The primary focus is on communication interfaces — implementing and integrating industrial and automotive protocols on ARM microcontrollers that coordinate motor controllers, sensors, and host compute across Ethernet and fieldbus networks. You will work on bare-metal and RTOS-based firmware for TI and/or NXP MCUs, owning features end-to-end from design through board-level validation.
Key Responsibilities
Design and implement firmware for 32-bit ARM microcontrollers (Cortex-R/M), focusing on communication stacks and peripheral integration
Implement and integrate EtherCAT slave/master stacks (TI ICSS-based or equivalent) for real-time sensing and control
Implement CAN-FD communication layers — including Cyphal (OpenCyphal/UAVCAN) protocol integration for sensor and actuator networks
Support Ethernet connectivity firmware: MAC/PHY bring-up, LwIP or similar lightweight TCP/IP stacks, UDP streaming protocols, 100Base-T1/automotive Ethernet
Integrate and validate sensor and motor control communication interfaces
Perform board bring-up, peripheral validation, and firmware debug using JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes
Write well-structured, testable C firmware with documentation appropriate for team handoff
Skill Requirements
embedded firmware development on 32-bit ARM microcontrollers (Cortex-M/R)
Strong experience with communication protocol implementation : at least two of — EtherCAT, Ethernet (raw/UDP/LwIP), CAN/CAN-FD, RS-485/UART
Hands-on experience with real-time operating systems (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar)
Proficiency in C for bare-metal and RTOS-based embedded systems
Experience with DMA-driven peripheral communication (UART, SPI, CAN) for deterministic, high-throughput data transfer
Other Requirements
1. Optional But Valuable Certifications: Certified Embedded Systems Engineer (Cese), Embedded Software Engineer Certification.
Maximum Salary (US): 148000
Minimum Salary (US): 78000
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