Firmware manager I

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Join Axon and be a Force for Good

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [email protected].

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

Your Impact

The Axon Platform Firmware infrastructure team in the Connected Devices IoT Pillar supports all of Axon’s camera-based products and accessory products. Firmware development environments include primarily embedded Linux on System-on-Chips/Modules (C, C++, Golang), RTOS on Microcontrollers (C) and Automated Test Equipment. Solve very challenging firmware problems while leading by applying data structure and object oriented thinking in new product development.

As a strong, technically sound, Firmware Manager I on the Platform Firmware team, you’ll be responsible for a diverse set of responsibilities that will make every day interesting: code reviews and technical contributions with the developers, interact with vendors to ensure high quality artifacts are delivered for platform integration, Jira project management and statusing to Leadership, reviewing and contributing to software architectures, engineering and security excellence work, recruiting, people management just to name a few.

2024 - 2026 and beyond is an exciting new growth era for the Platform Firmware team and Axon, as new internal investment has driven need to build a new team to commercialize Brand New Product-lines for Axon and its Mission. As the Firmware Engineering Manager, you will help shape a new, dedicated, team and drive project execution to commercialize these products while working cross-functionally with Hardware Engineering, European Firmware Teams, Software Engineering, Product & Program Management, Compliance, Manufacturing, and more. While the intent of this new Firmware Engineering Manager role is dedicated to these new product-lines through 2026 - 2027, because Axon is a growth company and depending on the candidate, additional responsibilities may be added. Products are comprised of multiple components with multiple Microcontrollers, eLinux SoMs and/or SoCs, Cellular capabilities, and just about any other firmware-embedded buzzword you can think of (except FPGAs)!

This is a Line Manager Engineering Management Full-time Position (i.e., Engineering Manager I). In additional being exceptional at People and Project Management, all candidates must be Technically Sound and demonstrate they have not become “disconnected” to the core technologies - no exceptions.

Where You’ll Work

Location: Boston, MA. Working remotely from your home with easy access to our brand new Local Axon Hub in Boston, MA, so you can choose between your preferred working style for the majority of your time and still have the flexibility to go into the office for those in-person high bandwidth conversations with your peers as-needed.

Travel: Firmware Engineering requires collaboration with Hardware Engineering and being hands-on. While the job is Remote near a Local Axon Hub, travel obligations to the office for Board Bring-up, Hardware and Manufacturing Support are required during critical build milestones of the Product Development Life-Cycle.

What You’ll Do

Reports to: Director of Engineering, Platform Firmware
Direct Reports: Roughly 8 to start, with expectations to scale it further in future years

• Firmware Design and Development of IoT infrastructure for next-generation products synthesizing all of Axon’s core competencies
• Manage a team, demonstrate empathy, and provide clear career growth for Firmware Engineers
• Collaborate and clearly communicate with global teams during all parts of the Product Development Life-Cycle to drive timely new feature and product launches
• Drive Engineering Excellence, Engineering Processes and Best Practices for Firmware Development
• Ensure and help write clear and concise technical documentation and system diagrams for engineering excellence
• Instill a culture within the team of continuous process improvement and adoption of metrics
• Collaborate with the Engineering Director to estimate projects with high confidence during corporate planning cycles, maintain estimates and status for Executive Leadership
• Develop and/or Code-review Firmware in C, C++ for Microcontrollers, System-on-Chips and System-on-Modules and the varying RF components they integrate
• Be a Firmware Expert and Mentor to other team members and cross-functional partners
• Drive Security Excellence and Best Practices for Firmware and be proactive against and close any discovered vulnerabilities ASAP
• Help manage Firmware Releases across multiple components of the products
• Draw upon your deep System Design experience to disambiguate any gray areas of ownership in Firmware or Software between Infrastructure and Product Business Logic Teams
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition to focus on growth through both Passive and Active Recruiting

What You Bring

While all candidates will be considered, those candidates who have mobile phone-like System-on-Chip (SoC) and embedded Linux experience will have prioritization over those with Microcontroller experience only. We also prioritize candidates who demonstrate having shipped a product from start to finish; and, sticking with the product post-release so as to have learned from its in-market performance.

• B.S. in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent
• Minimum 10 years experience primarily with Real-world Firmware, Embedded Engineering projects that went to market
• Minimum 3 years of experience Leading Teams with Empathy, Objectivity, and a Mentorship mindset
• Current, Strong, Technical Expertise in C, C++ Firmware programming and Board Support Packaging on Embedded Linux (primary) and/or RTOS environments (secondary)
• Object and System Design-first mindset and always thinking about how to build Scalable, Durable, Software Architectures on constrained systems
• Track record of planning and delivering on Hardware-Software projects that are long-running, contain lots of dependencies, and span several months to 1yr+
• Experience implementing Engineering Processes that emphasize Quality, Security, Maintainability, Extensibility and Operational Discipline
• Strong organizational practices that can help build and extend mechanisms Platform Firmware uses for everything from Release Management to Contractor Financial Accountability

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Learning & Development programs
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

The Pay: Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The starting base pay for this role is between USD 125,000 in the lowest geographic market and USD 240,000 in the highest geographic market. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit www.axon.com/careers/benefits (http://www.axon.com/careers/benefits).

Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Important Notes

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [email protected]. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.