Senior Firmware Engineer

Job description

About Tacit We are an early-stage, deep tech startup based in San Francisco, developing innovative hardware that rethinks human-computer interaction. We are backed by General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, and Greylock Partners, with a founding team from Stanford, BrainGate, Oculus, and Tesla. While we can’t reveal too much just yet, our team is tackling cutting-edge engineering challenges to bring revolutionary products to life. ABOUT THE ROLE We’re looking for a Senior Firmware Engineer to help architect, develop, and ship next-generation neurotech and audio hardware products. As a key member of our growing firmware team, you will own major portions of the embedded software stack from early architecture through production and play a critical role in bringing complex consumer electronics to life. You’ll work closely with electrical, mechanical, software, ML, and product teams to transition systems from prototype to robust, production-ready products while helping establish strong firmware engineering practices across the company. WHAT YOU'LL DO Embedded Firmware Architecture & Product Development - Contribute to firmware architecture and embedded software development for battery-powered wearable consumer devices from concept through production. - Own critical portions of the firmware stack including realtime data acquisition, connectivity, power management, bootloaders, and production infrastructure. - Develop robust embedded systems using C/C++ and RTOS-based architectures including FreeRTOS or similar environments. - Design and implement reliable firmware abstractions across sensors, audio systems, wireless subsystems, and power domains. - Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, ML, mobile, and cloud teams to optimize system performance, latency, power consumption, and reliability. - Operate effectively in a startup environment where engineers own large portions of the hardware and firmware stack. Realtime Embedded Systems & Sensor Processing - Design and optimize low-latency realtime firmware pipelines for sensor acquisition, timestamping, synchronization, and data movement. - Develop DMA-driven acquisition systems for high-throughput sensor and audio streams. - Implement deterministic scheduling and time alignment across multiple sensors and wireless subsystems. - Optimize firmware for low-power operation, including sleep states, subsystem power gating, and dynamic power management. - Debug complex concurrency, timing, and memory-related issues in deeply embedded systems. Wireless Connectivity & Audio Systems - Develop and integrate Bluetooth LE and Classic Bluetooth audio functionality on Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms or similar wireless SoCs. - Work on wireless coexistence challenges involving Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and proprietary RF systems. - Implement and optimize OTA firmware update systems, bootloaders, and device recovery mechanisms. - Develop and optimize embedded audio pipelines including low-latency streaming, microphone processing, and synchronization. - Collaborate with ML and algorithm teams on audio features including ANC, beamforming, filtering, and related realtime audio systems. Bring-Up, Debug & Validation - Lead firmware bring-up and debugging across embedded compute, sensors, wireless, and audio systems. - Use advanced debugging tools including JTAG/SWD debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and lab instrumentation. - Develop automated validation, manufacturing, and regression test infrastructure. - Perform root-cause analysis and resolve complex issues discovered during development, validation, manufacturing, or field deployment. Production Firmware & Reliability - Support EVT, DVT, and PVT builds and help ramp products to mass production. - Design firmware with strong reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability principles. - Develop factory programming, calibration, provisioning, and manufacturing test systems. - Develop and maintain automated test infrastructure including Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) systems, regression testing frameworks, and CI pipelines for embedded firmware validation. - Improve firmware robustness through telemetry, logging, automated validation systems, CI infrastructure, and field diagnostics. - Help define engineering standards, development workflows, and firmware best practices across the organization. REQUIREMENTS - 5+ years of experience in embedded firmware or software engineering. - Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems. - Strong experience with RTOS-based systems including FreeRTOS or similar platforms. - Experience shipping at least one consumer electronics product, preferably wearable or audio-related devices. - Experience developing firmware for battery-powered embedded systems with strong emphasis on power optimization. - Experience with bootloaders, OTA update systems, and production firmware reliability. - Experience with realtime embedded systems involving DMA, interrupts, concurrency, and low-latency data pipelines. - Experience with Bluetooth LE and Classic Bluetooth audio systems. - Strong hands-on debugging and bring-up experience across embedded hardware and firmware systems. - Experience working closely with cross-functional hardware and software teams in fast-paced product development environments. - Familiarity with Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms or similar wireless/audio SoCs. STRONG CANDIDATES MAY HAVE - Deep expertise in one or more of the following areas: - realtime sensor acquisition and synchronization - Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity systems - embedded audio and ANC systems - Experience with Qualcomm Snapdragon S-series platforms. - Familiarity with STM32-based embedded systems. - Experience with embedded audio interfaces such as I2S, PDM, TDM, or related protocols. - Experience with wireless coexistence optimization across Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and proprietary RF systems. - Experience building ANC, beamforming, or low-latency audio systems. - Experience with embedded Linux systems. - Experience developing manufacturing firmware, calibration systems, or automated test infrastructure. - Experience with CI systems, automated testing, and firmware deployment pipelines. - Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing systems. - Experience with Python for tooling, automation, or instrumentation control. - Familiarity with secure boot, firmware signing, and device security. - Strong understanding of low-power embedded architecture and system-level power optimization. - Experience using lab instrumentation including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, RF tools, and protocol analyzers. COMPENSATION RANGE $150,000 - $200,000/year BENEFITS - Competitive equity package - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance - Company size: 25-30 people - Unlimited PTO - Visa sponsorship - 4% 401k matching