Embedded Software Engineer
Job description
About the role
The Core Firmware team builds the firmware base that Zoox-owned firmware applications depend on across vehicle microcontrollers. Engineers navigate tradeoffs between safety, stability, performance, security, and flexibility to ship code for the autonomous vehicle platform. You will own the end-to-end delivery of foundational firmware components, ensuring robust integration across diverse microcontroller architectures. This role demands rigorous analysis of real-time constraints and hardware interactions to maintain system reliability. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to translate high-level requirements into resilient low-level implementations. Clear communication of technical tradeoffs will be essential as you explain complex firmware decisions to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders. Your work will directly influence the performance and security of the autonomous vehicle platform at its lowest levels.
Key facts
What you'll do
Implement foundational software and firmware in C and C++ that operates across multiple microcontrollers and integrates with Zoox's off-vehicle infrastructure implemented in Python.
Perform root-cause analysis to trace field issues into platform internals and resolve problems spanning microcontrollers and system layers.
Enable partner teams, both within and outside the Firmware organization, by delivering and maintaining the firmware foundation deployed across numerous microcontrollers.
Design and evolve RTOS platform components to guide how firmware is structured, integrated, and maintained across the codebase.
Develop and optimize device drivers and hardware abstraction layers to ensure software connects to hardware mechanisms through well-defined interfaces.
Analyze and refine bootloader internals on MCUs to strengthen initialization, secure updates, and recovery flows for field operations.
Collaborate with security specialists to embed protective measures into firmware interfaces and communication protocols across the vehicle network.
Optimize system performance by profiling firmware execution, reducing latency, and minimizing resource utilization on constrained hardware.
Contribute to the reliability and safety certification processes by producing traceable artifacts and validating firmware behavior against requirements.
Guide technical decisions through code reviews, design documents, and clear verbal explanations that help the team align on robust solutions.
Support the full lifecycle of firmware from initial integration and verification through long-term maintenance and incremental improvements.
Requirements
C/C++ systems programming experience operating in a real-time environment for firmware on microcontrollers is mandatory.
Demonstrated history with RTOS platform development that guides how firmware is structured, integrated, and maintained.
Proven ability to write software that connects to hardware mechanisms through well-defined interfaces and drivers.
Solid understanding of bootloader internals on MCUs supporting initialization, updates, and recovery flows.
Bachelor's degree is required as a baseline qualification for this position.
Experience working with safety-critical systems and the associated development processes is essential.
Proficiency in debugging complex firmware issues across multiple system layers and microcontrollers.
Commitment to following coding standards, security practices, and stability requirements inherent in vehicle platforms.
Practical notes
The role requires a bachelor's degree as a baseline qualification.
The position is located in Foster City, California, and is a full-time engagement.
Compensation for this role ranges from $200000 to $250000.
This role is part of the Core Firmware MCU Platforms team.
Typical interview steps include a recruiter screen followed by one or two technical rounds.
Interviews often involve solving a coding problem, discussing past projects, and answering system design questions.
Some loops may include a take-home task to assess practical implementation skills.
Final rounds typically cover team fit and provide candidates a chance to ask questions.
Interviewers focus on how you break down unfamiliar problems, not just whether you reach the answer.
Practicing a few problems aloud and reviewing your own past projects are the best forms of preparation.
Career growth
Engineering careers usually progress from individual contributor to senior, staff, and principal levels. Some engineers move into management and lead teams of five to twenty people. Others stay on the technical track. Growth follows demonstrated impact, not tenure alone. A typical engineering ladder has clear levels with defined expectations for scope, quality, and mentorship. Moving up usually requires owning outcomes end to end rather than completing assigned tickets.
About the company
Zoox is building the world's most advanced self-driving hardware and software solution. The efficiency demands of such a system require an expert fine tuning of both the compute hardware architecture as well as the algorithms and middleware that runs on it to achieve maximum throughput at the most optimal power levels.