Firmware Engineer

About Whisker Labs

We’re on a mission to save lives and property, leading the next wave in smart home technology and fire prevention with Ting. This intelligent sensor and concierge service monitors a home’s electrical network to detect electrical hazards that often lead to the most devastating and catastrophic fires. While on the job preventing fires inside a home, Ting also helps monitor the electrical grid, contributing to increased community fire safety and reduced environmental impact that comes with fire reduction. We’re steadfastly addressing the long-underserved realm of electrical fire prevention with leading-edge technology and embarking on the next stage of our growth. Visit tingfire.com for more information.

About the Role

Whisker Labs builds Ting—the plug-in sensor and service that detects the earliest signs of electrical fire hazards in homes and provides real-time grid insights. Our AI-driven approach has helped prevent most electrical fires we detect and now protects over a million homes. Join us to ship secure, reliable firmware that keeps families safe and strengthens the grid.

What You'll Do

• Develop and test secure embedded real-time firmware in C, C++ and assembly languages for embedded real-time microcontrollers.
• Develop new firmware and maintain existing firmware including new features, bug fixes, performance improvements, specialized test programs, and exploratory functionality.
• Perform firmware testing and document test results.
• Develop supporting test software in Python, C and other languages for testing embedded real-time systems using a variety of test equipment such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, programmable controllers, data recorders, and other test tools. Use developed test tools to perform testing of our sensor products.
• Test a variety of commercial Wi-Fi access points/routers for compatibility with Whisker Labs products and document findings and recommendations to overcome issues with specific router models.
• Develop and maintain software/firmware documentation including functional descriptions, flowcharts, communications protocol definitions, debugging guides, software/firmware setup guides, security hardening definitions, and other documentation needed for production-quality, maintainable firmware and supporting test tools.
• Collaborate with our customer care team on escalation cases involving more complex technical issues related to Whisker Labs products used by our customers. This includes sensor Wi-Fi or network connectivity issues that customers may experience.
• Analyze technical issues related to sensors deployed in the field to identify issues and potential solutions.
• Adhere to all company security policies, practices and procedures.

Desired Knowledge and Experience

• 7+ years of experience in developing and testing embedded real-time systems.
• C, C++ and assembly languages for real-time embedded microcontrollers in both bare-metal and RTOS environments.
• Code development IDEs and real-time hardware debuggers including Eclipse-based and VS Code-based.
• Familiar with efficient use of various microcontroller peripherals including memory controllers, Wi-Fi and BLE networking, ADC, SPI, I2C, GPIO, DMA, RTC, USB, JTAG/SWD, timers, interrupts, and fault handling.
• Familiar with mainstream real-time operating systems (RTOS) and TCP/IP networking stacks.
• Familiar with Wi-Fi networking protocols, TCP and UDP communications, network security, encryption, and public key infrastructure.
• Familiar with AWS cloud computing services.
• Familiar with Wi-Fi and network diagnostic tools including Wi-Fi sniffers, tcpdump, Wireshark, and other similar tools.
• Comfortable with Windows, Mac and Linux systems.
• Git, Jira, Confluence and similar tools for defining and managing work and documentation.
• Work effectively in a team environment with open communication and collaborative problem solving.

Desired Education

• BS Electrical Engineering, BS Computer Engineering, or BS Computer Science with realtime.
• MS or PhD in above fields is a plus.

Work Location / Work Environment

• Remote with occasional trips to company HQ in Germantown, MD.
• Regular team communications through Slack, Teams, Jira, Confluence, email and other tools.
• Having a dedicated place to work and/or lab area is a plus since this work involves a variety of hardware components, boards, computers, Wi-Fi equipment, etc.

Why Join Us?

By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to be a part of a groundbreaking technology that is creating a new category while helping to protect families, homes, and communities from the devastating impacts of electrical fires. We are a passionate team, dedicated to revolutionizing fire prevention to make the world a safer place. Our pace and growth trajectory offer exceptional opportunities for professional development, and we offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. If you want to take ownership, shape strategy, and drive meaningful change, you’ll love Whisker Labs.

Whisker Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.