Senior Firmware Engineer, IOT and Connectivity

$146,900 - $183,600/Yr

Rivian - Palo Alto, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Palo Alto, CA

Transportation Equipment Manufacturing

About the position

The Senior Firmware Engineer for IoT and Connectivity at Rivian will play a crucial role in the Future Programs team, focusing on the development of next-generation products. This position involves working in a dynamic environment throughout all stages of program development, from concept to launch, and will significantly influence the engineering practices and culture of the team. The role emphasizes the design and implementation of mission-critical wireless communication systems and features, requiring collaboration across various teams including hardware, cloud, and mobile.

Responsibilities

• Firmware development of critical hardware validation, wireless bring-up, and IoT-related features, such as over-the-air updates and telemetry upload.
• Partner with HW, UX, cloud, mobile, and other firmware teams to architect end-to-end IoT systems.
• Design and implement features, as well as related tests, to deliver mission-critical, robust code.
• Optimize firmware for low-power operation, extending the battery life of IoT devices and supporting energy-efficient designs.
• Implement robust security measures within firmware to safeguard devices against potential threats, ensuring data integrity, authentication, and encryption protocols are in place.
• Develop a robust CI/CD pipeline and advocate for best practices to help grow a high-performance team with highly automated tools and testing.
• Collaborate with QA teams and leverage metrics to monitor for and debug issues.
• Engage effectively with third-party firms by delivering clear specifications and requirements and managing execution.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 4+ years of experience in firmware development, focused on wireless communications.
• Expert in C programming, ideally familiar with C++, Python, and bash scripting.
• Past experience working with wireless technologies (BLE, LTE, GPS, NFC, UWB).
• Proficiency with real-time operating system concepts. Direct experience with Zephyr RTOS and/or FreeRTOS a plus.
• Hands-on experience debugging in real-world environments with wireless diagnostics tooling such as Wireshark.
• Knowledge of basic communication protocol principles - messaging, network, security, compression.
• Specific experience working with IoT data protocols (e.g. MQTT, HTTP), OTA, wireless regulatory compliance, and cloud APIs a big plus.
• Highly collaborative mindset and strong communication skills.

Benefits

• Robust medical/Rx, dental and vision insurance packages for full-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26. Coverage is effective on the first day of employment, and Rivian covers most of the premiums.