1X Technologies

Embedded Firmware Engineer - NEO

San Carlos, CA

Sponsorship not specified$200k-$300kDetected 35 days ago

C++Embedded SystemsRoboticsCommunication

About the role

We sit at the intersection of hardware and software, and our work is directly on the critical path to every product milestone: without reliable firmware, the robot cannot move, charge, or operate safely.
Establish diagnostic and telemetry infrastructure that measurably accelerates end-of-line validation and enables long-term field reliability tracking
Contribute to a firmware codebase that is well-structured, documented, and maintainable, enabling the team to scale safely as the robot adds nodes, subsystems, and production volume

We're building humanoid robots that work in home - doing the chores, handling the tasks, and giving people their time back.
NEO is our flagship - a home robot designed to move, learn, and operate in the real world alongside real people.
We're scaling, we're hiring with intention, and we need people who want to build something that will genuinely change how humans spend their time - safely creating abundance for all.

5+ years of embedded firmware development in C/C++ on real hardware, with direct experience managing interrupts, DMA, and timing-critical execution (7+ years for senior/staff-level positions)
Demonstrated ability to debug firmware on real hardware using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, or equivalent tools comfortable diagnosing problems that span firmware behavior and electrical signaling
Experience with safety-critical or fault-tolerant embedded systems
familiarity with safety integrity standards such as IEC 61508 or ISO 26262
Familiarity with real-time operating systems (FreeRTOS, SafeRTOS, or similar)

Hands-on experience with microcontrollers and embedded communication interfaces at minimum CAN plus one or more of SPI, I²C, UART

Deliver production-quality firmware for your assigned domain; communication bus, battery charging, or actuator drives that meets reliability and safety requirements on both prototype and production hardware
Reduce integration risk across subsystems by owning the firmware-to-hardware interface: defining requirements with hardware architects, surfacing trade-offs early, and resolving issues before they block downstream teams
Deep embedded instincts writing firmware that is correct under real hardware conditions: interrupt timing, DMA conflicts, communication protocol edge cases, and hardware fault behavior
First-principles problem solver diagnosing novel failures at the firmware-hardware boundary using lab tools and reasoning from fundamentals, not just vendor documentation or established patterns
Safety-aware by default understanding what "fail safe" means in a physical system and treats protection logic, fault detection, and safe-state transitions as first-class firmware concerns
Effective cross-functional partner translating firmware constraints and failure modes clearly to hardware architects, electrical engineers, and systems engineers; supports bring-up without waiting to be directed
We've been at this since 2014 and we're at the point where the hard problems are behind us and the hard work is in front of us.

1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, justice system impact, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

rd to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or ve

This listing is sourced directly from 1X Technologies's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.