Manager of Firmware Engineering

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as Manager of Firmware Engineering. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our firmware engineering foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You’ll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies, work closely with leadership, and develop and implement firmware engineering practices that support our mission and growth.

Your key responsibilities are as follows:

• Recruit, develop, and manage a team of firmware engineers.

• Contribute to the architecture, design, integration, verification, and transition to production of firmware for complex laser, photonic, and electro-optical systems.

• Create and maintain company-wide firmware engineering processes, standards, development environments, coding practices, and tools.

• Be responsible for the execution of firmware engineering projects across the company, from requirements development and system architecture through implementation, integration, verification, validation, qualification, and production support.

• Lead the team in developing FPGA- and SoC-based architectures utilizing HDL fabric, embedded C/C++ processors, and hybrid hardware/firmware solutions for high-speed and high-precision control applications.

• As a member of the cross-functional leadership team, be responsible for planning and execution of company projects on schedule and to budget, including firmware scope, technical risk identification, and mitigation strategies.

• Partner closely with Electrical, Software, Optical, Mechanical, Systems, Manufacturing, Program Management, and Project Engineering teams to ensure seamless system-level integration., * Partner with Electrical and Software teams to define and maintain robust hardware/firmware/software interfaces and ensure seamless system integration.

• Establish and maintain engineering documentation, including firmware architecture and design documentation, interface control documents, coding standards, verification plans, test procedures, release documentation, and traceability to system requirements.

• Lead troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action activities for firmware and system-level issues throughout development, production, and field deployment.

Startup Mindset:

• You’re creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
• You’re passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

• 7+ years of relevant experience (including pursuit of relevant higher education), ideally within a startup or technology company.

Skills and Responsibilities:

• Proven record of building and leading engineering teams successfully executing multiple, parallel, complex firmware and embedded systems projects through development, qualification, fielding, and maintenance cycles.

• Strong technical background in FPGA and embedded development, including FPGA-based solutions that combine HDL fabric with embedded C/C++ microprocessor architectures.

• Strong understanding of digital logic, computer architecture, electronics, and the hardware/firmware interfaces required for complex electro-optical and controls systems.

• Experience with FPGA development toolchains such as Xilinx Vivado/Vitis, including simulation, integration, verification, implementation, and debug.

• Experience architecting and developing hybrid SoC and soft-microprocessor solutions for real-time embedded applications.

• Proficiency in C/C++ for real-time embedded development and familiarity with HDL-based FPGA development.

• Experience leading teams through complex FPGA implementation and timing-closure challenges involving dense IP, high-speed interfaces, and algorithmic processing.

• Experience with device-level and high-speed communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, Ethernet, serial interfaces, and SerDes.

• Establish and enforce firmware engineering best practices, including architecture and design reviews, code reviews, coding standards, design patterns, configuration management, performance optimization, and verification practices.

• Establish robust firmware development, integration, verification, release, and production-support processes suitable for low-to-mid volume, high-complexity systems and future scaling.

The expected annual salary range for this position is $175,000-$225,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
• 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
• 13 paid company holidays
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)