Firmware Engineer

As a Senior Firmware Engineer at Mill, your primary responsibilities include designing and implementing robust firmware on MCU platforms, developing and optimizing communication stacks for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, writing efficient low-level code, and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure optimal performance and reliability of our products. You'll also be engaged in troubleshooting firmware issues and contributing to the large-scale production readiness of our systems.

To apply for the Senior Firmware Engineer position at Mill, you need a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, along with at least 5 years of experience in embedded systems development. Strong expertise in C programming, an understanding of computer networking, and hands-on experience with wireless connectivity modules such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are essential qualifications.

Preferred skills for a Senior Firmware Engineer at Mill include experience with ESP32 microcontrollers, familiarity with cloud computing protocols such as MQTT, and knowledge of AWS. Additionally, having a working knowledge of mobile app development and strong communication skills to foster collaboration within teams will enhance your candidacy.

Mill is committed to supporting career growth for Senior Firmware Engineers through a collaborative team environment, opportunities for professional development, and exposure to innovative projects focused on sustainability. We encourage continuous learning and provide resources to help you advance in your career while making a positive impact on the environment.

The estimated base salary range for the Senior Firmware Engineer position at Mill is between $170,000 to $225,000. This range does not include the value of benefits or potential equity grants. Various factors, including skill sets, experience, and market conditions, are considered in compensation decisions.

When answering this question, focus on specific projects where you designed or developed firmware for embedded systems. Talk about the technologies and programming languages you used, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them, particularly in relation to low-level programming and memory management.

Discuss methods you use for testing and debugging firmware, such as unit testing, integration testing, and continuous integration practices. Emphasize your experience with troubleshooting tools and debugging techniques to identify and resolve issues to improve the reliability of your firmware.

Share details about your experience with wireless communication stacks, explaining how you analyze data throughput, latency, and reliability. Discuss any specific optimizations you've implemented in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth protocols and how those improvements enhanced the overall performance of a product.

Emphasize your communication skills and willingness to engage with different team members, such as product managers, hardware engineers, and mobile app developers. Highlight examples where your collaborative efforts led to successful project outcomes, showing your ability to align on system-level requirements and troubleshoot challenging issues.

Discuss the importance of rigorous testing, including unit testing and QA processes, to ensure a high standard of quality in your firmware. Explain how you document and track issues, as well as your methods for validating that your code meets specifications and integrates seamlessly with hardware.

Articulate your systematic approach to debugging, using specific tools and methodologies to identify root causes. Discuss your experience with hardware-software interfacing and how you leverage this to address difficult firmware problems efficiently and effectively.

Provide insights into the specific Wi-Fi or Bluetooth modules you've worked with, describing projects where you integrated them into a product. Highlight your hands-on experience with challenges like pairing, data exchange, and network configuration, which are key in developing connected devices.

Share a relevant story that highlights your problem-solving skills. Describe the context, the challenge, the steps you took to address it, and the final outcome, emphasizing what you learned from the experience and how it has influenced your approach to development.

Mention specific version control tools like Git, as well as CI/CD platforms you've utilized. Explain how these tools help maintain project integrity, facilitate collaboration, and support the testing and deployment processes in your firmware development workflow.

Discuss your knowledge and experience with RTOS, particularly any hands-on experience with FreeRTOS or similar platforms. Highlight how you’ve used RTOS to manage tasks, optimize performance, and ensure responsiveness in your firmware applications.