Embedded Software Engineer, BSP
Hark Open · verified Oct 24, 2026 At a glance
Mid-level Embedded & Firmware role at Hark. San Jose · $120,000–$300,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Build and maintain C/C++ firmware for ARM-based systems, covering board startup, drivers and system integration
- Bring up boards and connect peripherals such as SPI, I2C and UART across the embedded platform
- Coordinate with vendors and internal hardware and software teams to validate systems against specifications
- Improve power use and thermal behavior for devices designed to run continuously on battery
- Trace hardware-software faults with tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and JTAG
What you bring
- At least five years developing firmware or embedded systems professionally
- Strong C or C++ skills for software running with limited resources, plus experience with ARM Cortex-M or Cortex-A processors
- Practical work with embedded operating systems, including Linux, Android, VxWorks or RTOS options
- Familiarity with BLE, Wi-Fi or Thread, and the ability to read schematics during board bring-up
- Experience using embedded debugging tools and workflows
Who this fits
This role suits a mid-level embedded engineer who can work across firmware, board bring-up and hardware-software debugging. The position is based in San Jose, California.
From the employer
About Hark
Hark is an artificial intelligence company building advanced, personalized intelligence. One that is proactive, multimodal, and capable of interacting with the world through speech, text, vision, and persistent memory.
We're pairing that intelligence with next-generation hardware to create a universal interface between humans and machines. While today's AI largely operates through chat boxes and decade-old devices, Hark is focused on what comes next: agentic systems that interact naturally with people and the real world.
To get there, we're developing multimodal models and next-generation AI hardware together - designed from the ground up as a single, unified interface for a new era of intelligent systems.
About the Role
The Embedded Software team owns the software running on Hark’s next generation of AI hardware, and we are looking for an Embedded BSP Engineer to join the team. You will own critical pieces of the firmware across the stack that powers Hark's consumer products, from board bring-up, vendor code integrations, to custom peripheral drivers and integrations, FPGA-based system integrations, and system power and performance improvements.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain embedded firmware in C/C++ targeting ARM-based SoCs and microcontrollers
- Own BSP development, board bring up, peripheral drivers (SPI, I2C, UART, I2S etc.), and system integration
- Working closely with vendors on system integration and validation
- Working with Hardware and Software team to ensure our hardware are built and functioning to the specifications
- Optimize power consumption and thermal performance for always-on, battery-powered operation
- Debug complex hardware-software interactions using logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and JTAG
Requirements
- 5+ years of professional firmware or embedded systems development
- Strong proficiency in C and/or C++ in resource-constrained environments
- Experience with ARM Cortex-M or Cortex-A processors
- Hands-on experience with embedded operating systems, such as eLinux, AOSP, VxWorks and RTOSes
- Familiarity with wireless protocols (BLE, Wi-Fi, or Thread)
- Comfort reading schematics and working alongside hardware engineers during board bring-up
- Experience with embedded debugging tools and workflows
Bonus Qualifications
- Experience with power optimization for battery-powered consumer devices
- Familiarity with secure boot, firmware signing, or hardware root of trust
- Exposure to ML inference runtimes on embedded platforms
- Experience shipping consumer electronics through EVT/DVT/PVT milestones
Compensation
The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.
The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.
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