Senior Firmware Engineer

ABOUT US

Mide operates as a research and development company specializing in sensors and smart material technologies. We support innovation for our parent organization, Hutchinson, a global supplier serving the automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial sectors. Mide's R&D efforts contribute to advancements in vehicle electrification and distributed industrial sensing, with a strong emphasis on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications.

Our project portfolio spans smart material applications, data acquisition tools, and signal processing software. We offer an environment that encourages learning, initiative, and creative thinking. Mide maintains a close-knit culture with roughly 60 employees in our Woburn office, including a multidisciplinary engineering team across software, electrical, mechanical, and aerospace fields. We have successfully progressed multiple R&D initiatives into established product lines, including wireless data loggers and essential safety seals used on U.S. Navy vessels.

SUMMARY

The Firmware Engineer III will contribute to the design and development of embedded software for our low-power sensors, particularly enDAQ data acquisition devices. These sensors capture high-rate data such as acceleration, rotation, temperature, pressure, and humidity, sending raw or processed information to a local gateway that controls sensor operation, processes data, and connects to our Azure cloud platform. The role will focus primarily on firmware and related software, with optional opportunities for hardware involvement or project management responsibilities.

NOTE: Because Mide performs considerable work for the Department of Defense, this position may involve supporting defense-related programs.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

* BSE in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a similar field.

* A minimum of 6 years of experience in firmware or embedded software development.

REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must have:

* Must be a U.S. person (citizen or permanent resident).

* Experience in software design and architecture. Proficiency in C is preferred; C++ and similar languages are also acceptable.

* Interest in project management.

* Experience with microcontrollers and direct peripheral interaction, preferably ARM Cortex-M series (such as STM32 or EFM32).

* Experience working on systems without an operating system and directly managing hardware interfaces.

* Ability to interpret schematics, circuit diagrams, and PCB layouts.

* Strong debugging capabilities using SWD/JTAG, protocol or logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes.

* Effective written and verbal communication skills.

HIGHLY PREFERRED

The following skills are valuable for current project needs. Although not strictly required, ideal candidates will have experience in:

* STM32 microcontrollers.

* Wi-Fi and lwIP networking in low-power embedded environments, including platforms like ESP32.

* Basic knowledge of IoT and cloud systems (especially Azure), including MQTT, IoT Edge, and cloud fundamentals.

* Embedded multitasking systems such as FreeRTOS.

* Implementing serial communication protocols like I2C and SPI.

* Efficient use of DMA, clock control, and low-power states.

* Proficiency in Python.

* Experience using Git, GitHub, and GitFlow, including pull requests and code reviews.

* Some background in project management, especially coordinating cross-functional teams.

* Mentorship or personnel development skills, though the role is not immediately managerial.

* Translating high-level product requirements into detailed firmware specifications and system architectures.

PREFERRED SKILLS

These reflect long-term growth areas; candidates should have experience in at least some:

* Designing low-power data acquisition systems.

* Advanced object-oriented and software architecture skills.

* Wireless communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee/802.15.4, or ANT.

* Signal processing (e.g., Fourier transforms, PSD calculations, filtering, resampling).

* Experience with Linux or single-board computers like Raspberry Pi.

* Familiarity with circuit simulation tools such as LTSpice.

* Schematic creation and PCB layout (Altium).

* Experience with smart materials such as piezoelectric actuators or sensors.

* Low-power hardware design.

* Building software projects using CMake.

* Experience preparing detailed technical reports or proposals.