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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for EEDA Software and Hardware Engineering Specialist

💰 $90,000 - $140,000

EngineeringEmbedded SystemsHardwareFirmwareSystems Engineering

🎯 Role Definition

The EEDA (Electronics Engineering & Development Applications) Software and Hardware Engineering Specialist is a cross-disciplinary engineering professional responsible for designing, developing, validating, and deploying tightly integrated hardware and software solutions for embedded products. This role leads hardware bring-up and firmware development, creates automated test frameworks, collaborates with PCB and systems designers, and ensures product compliance and manufacturability. The specialist acts as the technical bridge between electrical engineering, software engineering, quality, and product management to deliver robust, scalable, and maintainable embedded systems.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Embedded Software Engineer
  • Hardware Design Engineer / PCB Engineer
  • Firmware Engineer / Test Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Senior EEDA Specialist / Principal Engineer
  • Lead Systems Engineer or Technical Lead
  • Engineering Manager / Director of Hardware & Firmware Engineering

Lateral Moves:

  • Systems Architect
  • Test & Validation Manager
  • Product Reliability & Compliance Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead end-to-end hardware bring-up activities for new PCBs and embedded platforms, including power sequencing, functional verification, and root-cause analysis of boot and stability issues to accelerate time-to-market.
  • Design, implement, and maintain production-grade firmware and device drivers in C/C++ for microcontrollers, SoCs, and real-time operating systems, ensuring deterministic behavior and memory-safety best practices.
  • Architect and develop FPGA/PLD firmware using Verilog/SystemVerilog or VHDL, create IP blocks, integrate logic with the SoC, and collaborate with FPGA teams on timing closure and resource optimization.
  • Develop and maintain Linux kernel drivers, BSPs, and board support packages for embedded Linux platforms, including upstreaming patches when applicable and maintaining device tree bindings.
  • Execute comprehensive hardware validation plans including signal integrity, power integrity, thermal analysis, and functional test coverage; document test results and recommend design changes to meet performance and reliability targets.
  • Define, implement, and operate automated test frameworks (software and hardware), including unit, integration, system, and regression tests using Python, pytest, Jenkins, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setups to enable repeatable CI/CD pipelines.
  • Create and execute test plans for RF, high-speed serial interfaces (PCIe, USB, Ethernet, SerDes), and legacy buses (I2C, SPI, UART), leveraging oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, vector network analyzers, and protocol analyzers to validate signal and protocol integrity.
  • Collaborate with PCB layout engineers to review schematics, advise on component selection, power distribution networks, EMI/EMC mitigations, and manufacturability to ensure a robust first-pass design.
  • Perform comprehensive failure analysis and debugging of hardware and firmware issues using systematic methodologies (JTAG, trace, post-mortem logs), generate RCA documents, and implement corrective and preventative actions.
  • Drive cross-functional design reviews and architecture discussions with systems, mechanical, firmware, and test teams to align technical tradeoffs, risk mitigation, and performance goals for embedded products.
  • Implement security features at the hardware and firmware layers, including secure boot, trusted execution, cryptographic key storage, and secure firmware update mechanisms to meet product security policies and industry compliance standards.
  • Collaborate with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and test houses to develop production test programs, ATE/ICT strategies, and first article validation processes that minimize yield loss and reduce test cycle time.
  • Develop performance profiling tools and telemetry collection to diagnose system-level issues, optimize power consumption, and tune real-time scheduling across firmware and OS layers.
  • Lead prototype builds, lab validation campaigns, and pilot manufacturing runs, coordinating logistics for BOM availability, alternate sourcing, and component qualification under supply chain constraints.
  • Document design artifacts, verification checklists, firmware APIs, and hardware test procedures in a manner that supports knowledge transfer, certification audits (e.g., CE, FCC), and long-term maintenance.
  • Support software architecture for sensor fusion, control loops, and embedded data processing pipelines, ensuring deterministic latencies and robust error handling for real-time applications.
  • Mentor junior engineers on embedded best practices, review code and schematic changes, and institutionalize engineering standards and checklists to elevate team delivery quality.
  • Perform power budgeting, battery management integration, and thermal characterization for portable and high-density designs to meet product usage and reliability requirements.
  • Lead interoperability and system integration testing with third-party modules, cloud services, and application software, resolving API mismatches and ensuring seamless end-user experience.
  • Coordinate and conduct firmware release management, regression testing, version control (Git), and release notes generation for OTA and maintenance updates.
  • Establish and enforce quality gates in CI/CD pipelines for firmware and test scripts, including automated static analysis, unit test coverage thresholds, and binary artifact validations.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives for test coverage, lab automation, and validation throughput, including selection and programming of test equipment and fixture design.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to improve test coverage, yield analysis, and product diagnostics.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by recommending telemetry schemas and storage for device operational data.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for instrumentation, logging, and monitoring features.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team to align hardware/firmware deliverables with software roadmaps.
  • Provide on-call support for escalated field issues, coordinating patches or hardware warranties and feeding lessons learned back into product roadmaps.
  • Assist regulatory and compliance teams during EMC, safety, and environmental testing phases by preparing device configurations, test cases, and evidence packages.
  • Support sales and product specialists with technical collateral, demo setups, and detailed responses to RFPs that require hardware/firmware technical clarifications.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Embedded C/C++ development for microcontrollers and SoCs with strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and real-time constraints.
  • Linux kernel development, device driver authoring, board support packages, and embedded Linux system configuration.
  • FPGA design and verification experience using Verilog/SystemVerilog or VHDL, plus familiarity with toolchains (Vivado, Quartus) and timing closure practices.
  • Schematic capture and PCB design review knowledge; hands-on experience with tools such as Altium Designer, Cadence, or Mentor Graphics.
  • Proficiency with hardware bring-up tools and debugging equipment: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers, spectrum analyzers, and power analyzers.
  • Experience with communication protocols and buses: PCIe, USB, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, and SerDes interfaces.
  • Test automation and CI/CD for firmware and hardware labs using Python, pytest, Jenkins, GitLab CI, Docker, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) frameworks.
  • Firmware security and secure boot implementations, TPM / secure element integration, and familiarity with cryptographic libraries and secure OTA mechanisms.
  • Signal integrity and power integrity fundamentals, including experience with power sequencing, decoupling strategies, and thermal management.
  • Experience in system-level validation, environmental testing, EMC/EMI mitigation techniques, and preparation for regulatory certification (FCC, CE, UL).
  • Proficiency in scripting and tooling for automation and data analysis (Python, Bash, MATLAB, or R) to accelerate validation and diagnostics.
  • Familiarity with product lifecycle tools and methodologies: Jira, Confluence, PLM systems, version control (Git), and change control processes.
  • Knowledge of test development for production: ATE programming, boundary-scan (JTAG), ICT, functional test fixtures, and manufacturing test optimization.
  • Hands-on experience with communication stacks, networking diagnostics, and performance profiling tools for embedded systems.

Soft Skills

  • Strong cross-functional communication skills to translate complex technical details to product managers, manufacturing partners, and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Analytical problem-solving with a systematic debugging mindset and the ability to drive issues to closure under time pressure.
  • Project and time management skills to balance multiple concurrent hardware and firmware deliverables with competing priorities.
  • Mentoring and team leadership capabilities to grow junior engineers and to lead design reviews and technical working groups.
  • Customer-focused mindset with the ability to respond to field issues, understand use cases, and prioritize fixes that maximize customer impact.
  • Collaborative spirit and adaptability to work in agile, fast-paced development environments and distributed teams.
  • Attention to documentation quality and reproducibility to ensure maintainability and regulatory traceability.
  • Continuous learning orientation and intellectual curiosity to stay current with emerging hardware, firmware, and test automation best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related engineering discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or equivalent advanced technical degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Electrical / Electronics Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Embedded Systems
  • Computer Science
  • Mechatronics or Systems Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12 years of combined hardware and firmware engineering experience with demonstrable embedded systems project delivery.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years delivering complex embedded products that include PCB design reviews, firmware/driver development, FPGA integration, and automated testing.
  • Proven track record in cross-functional delivery including production handoff, supplier management, and regulatory certification support.
  • Prior experience in domain-specific environments (industrial controls, automotive, medical devices, aerospace, IoT devices) preferred depending on product vertical.
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