Website:
wattr.ai
Job details:
About Wattr.ai
Wattr.ai is a CleanTech innovator on a mission to reimagine global access to water and energy. We develop breakthrough AI-driven systems that address infrastructure inefficiencies at a systemic level, ensuring reliable and sustainable resources for generations to come. Recognized by global institutions like The World Bank and UNICEF, Wattr.ai bridges the gap between high-end digital intelligence and real-world, on-ground impact. Join us as we build the future of climate-resilient infrastructure.
About the Role
We are looking for an exceptional Senior Full-Stack Hardware & Firmware Developer who will own the entire product development lifecycle — from napkin sketch to production-ready hardware shipped at scale.
You will bridge the gap between hardware design, embedded firmware, and software integration — wearing multiple hats while maintaining deep technical excellence in each domain.
This is a high-ownership, high-impact role for someone who thrives on complexity and loves shipping real products.
What You'll Own
▸ PCB schematic & layout design
▸ Embedded firmware (bare-metal & RTOS)
▸ IoT architecture & sensor integration
▸ Hardware-software integration layer
▸ Bring-up, validation & DVT
▸ DFM reviews & production ramp
▸ Post-production debugging & support
Key Responsibilities
Hardware Design & Engineering
▸ Own the full PCB development flow: schematic capture, component selection, layout, DRC/ERC review, and Gerber release.
▸ Design mixed-signal, power electronics, RF, or high-speed digital systems from concept to manufacturable BOM.
▸ Conduct signal integrity, thermal, and EMC analysis; drive layouts to meet IPC-2221 standards.
▸ Collaborate with mechanical engineers on enclosure tolerancing, connector placement, and thermal management.
▸ Lead DFM/DFA reviews with CMs and oversee NPI, EVT, DVT, and PVT builds.
Embedded Firmware Development
▸ Develop production-grade firmware in C/C++ targeting ARM Cortex-M/A, RISC-V, or proprietary SoCs.
▸ Implement device drivers, HALs, and middleware for peripherals: SPI, I2C, UART, USB, CAN, Ethernet, BLE/Wi-Fi.
▸ Architect and maintain RTOS-based systems (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, ThreadX) with deterministic real-time constraints.
▸ Apply secure boot, OTA firmware update mechanisms, and cryptographic primitives (TLS, AES, ECC).
▸ Write hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test suites and automate firmware CI pipelines.
Full-Stack Software Integration
▸ Design and implement host-side software bridges: Linux kernel drivers, userspace daemons, REST/gRPC APIs.
▸ Build data pipelines from sensor firmware through edge processing to cloud telemetry (AWS IoT / Azure IoT Hub / GCP).
▸ Develop companion mobile or desktop applications when the product requires an end-user interface.
▸ Own communication protocol stacks and ensure data integrity from silicon to cloud.
IoT Architecture & Sensor Integration
▸ Design and integrate multi-parameter sensor systems: flow meters, pressure transducers, energy monitors, temperature/humidity, water quality (pH, TDS, conductivity) and environmental sensors.
▸ Architect end-to-end IoT solutions — from sensor node hardware and low-power firmware through edge gateways to cloud dashboards and alerting pipelines.
▸ Implement low-power IoT profiles: duty-cycling, deep-sleep wake strategies, and energy-harvesting topologies to maximise battery or self-powered node life.
▸ Select and qualify IoT connectivity stacks for the application: NB-IoT, LTE-M, LoRaWAN, Zigbee, Thread/Matter, Wi-Fi, or BLE mesh.
▸ Develop sensor calibration routines, compensation algorithms, and data-quality assurance pipelines to guarantee measurement accuracy in field conditions.
▸ Integrate time-series data with IoT platforms (AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, Google Cloud IoT) and build real-time analytics dashboards for water and energy metrics.
▸ Define and implement device provisioning, fleet management, and remote OTA update workflows for large-scale IoT deployments.
Prototype → Production Lifecycle
▸ Drive all phase gates from proof-of-concept bench prototypes to pilot runs and mass production ramp.
▸ Maintain engineering change orders (ECOs), version-controlled hardware and firmware repositories.
▸ Define reliability, regulatory, and compliance requirements (CE, FCC, UL, RoHS); work with test labs through certification.
▸ Create and maintain detailed technical documentation: hardware design specs, FW architecture docs, test plans, and user guides.
Cross-Functional Leadership
▸ Mentor junior engineers; conduct thorough code and design reviews with constructive feedback.
▸ Communicate technical trade-offs clearly to product managers, executives, and non-technical stakeholders.
▸ Partner with supply chain to qualify alternative components and manage obsolescence risk.
▸ Own project timelines, risk registers, and milestone commitments for hardware development programs. REQUIRED QUALIFICATI
Education & Experience
▸ Master’s/bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
▸ 6+ years of hands-on hardware and firmware development experience with shipped production-volume products.
▸ Demonstrable end-to-end ownership: from initial schematic to factory floor and post-launch support.
Hardware Skills
▸ Expert proficiency in at least one EDA toolchain: Altium Designer, KiCad, or Cadence OrCAD/Allegro.
▸ Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, network analyzers, and JTAG/SWD debug tools.
▸ Deep knowledge of power supply design: LDOs, buck/boost converters, battery management ICs.
▸ Experience with high-speed design (DDR, PCIe, USB 3.x, Gigabit Ethernet).
Firmware & Software Skills
▸ Expert-level C and strong C++ for embedded targets; Python for scripting and tooling.
▸ Mastery of at least one RTOS and bare-metal programming paradigms.
▸ Proficiency with Git, CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins), and unit/integration test frameworks for embedded.
▸ Experience with Linux bring-up, device tree configuration, and kernel module development is a strong plus.
IoT & Sensors
▸ Proven experience designing or integrating sensor systems for energy metering, water quality/flow, or environmental monitoring.
▸ Hands-on with IoT connectivity protocols: MQTT, CoAP, LwM2M, AMQP and at least one LPWAN standard (LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, or LTE-M).
▸ Familiarity with sensor signal conditioning: ADC selection, filtering, noise rejection, and calibration methodologies.
▸ Experience with IoT device management platforms and FOTA update frameworks at fleet scale.
TECHNICAL COMPETENCY MATRI
MCUs / SoCs
ARM Cortex-M0–M7/A, ESP32, STM32, nRF52, i.MX RT, RISC-V cores
EDA & PCB
Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence Allegro; HDI, flex, rigid-flex
IoT Connectivity
BLE 5.x, Wi-Fi 6, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M, Zigbee, Thread/Matter
Sensor Systems
Flow, pressure, energy (CT/Shunt), pH, TDS, conductivity, temp/humidity
IoT Protocols
MQTT, CoAP, LwM2M, AMQP, Modbus, OPC-UA, gRPC
IoT Platforms
AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, Google Cloud IoT, ThingsBoard
Communication
SPI, I2C, UART, USB 2/3, CAN/CAN-FD, Ethernet, RS-485, 1-Wire
RTOS
FreeRTOS, Zephyr, ThreadX / Azure RTOS, bare-metal FSM
Cloud & Edge
Edge compute, time-series DBs (InfluxDB, TimescaleDB), Grafana
Languages
C (expert), C++ (proficient), Python, Rust (bonus)
Version Control
Git, Git LFS for hardware assets, semantic versioning
Test & Validation
HIL test rigs, cppcheck, static analysis, automated test benches
Compliance
FCC Part 15/22, CE RED, IEC 62368, UL 60950, RoHS/REACH
Preferred
▸ Experience with functional safety standards (IEC 61508, ISO 26262, IEC 62061).
▸ Familiarity with Rust for embedded systems or safety-critical firmware.
▸ Background in medical devices (ISO 13485, IEC 60601) or automotive (AUTOSAR, ASPICE).
▸ Experience with FPGA development (Verilog/VHDL, Xilinx/Intel toolchains).
▸ Contributions to open-source hardware or embedded firmware projects.
▸ Publications, patents, or conference presentations in hardware/embedded domains.
What we offer
▸ Competitive salary & performance-based equity / ESOPs
▸ State-of-the-art tools & EDA licenses
▸ Annual learning & conference budget
▸ Patent filing support & bonuses
▸ Mentorship from industry veterans
▸ End-to-end product ownership
▸ Collaborative, low-bureaucracy culture
▸ Relocation assistance (if applicable)
Click on Apply to know more.