Embedded / Software Engineer (Middleware & Equipment Integration)

About the Role

We are looking for an Embedded/Software Engineer to design and build a middleware layer that connects our physical equipment to our software platforms. You will own the bridge between hardware and software — reading data from devices, translating protocols, and exposing clean, reliable interfaces (APIs/services) that our applications can consume in real time.

This is a hands-on role: you will work directly with equipment, firmware, drivers, and communication protocols on one side, and with our backend/application teams on the other.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain middleware that interfaces between equipment (sensors, controllers, instruments, machines) and our in-house software systems.
• Implement device communication over serial (RS-232/RS-485), USB, Ethernet/TCP-IP, and industrial protocols (e.g., Modbus, CAN bus, OPC-UA, MQTT, BACnet — as applicable to our equipment).
• Build and document APIs and services (REST, WebSocket, gRPC, or message queues) that expose equipment data and controls to our software applications.
• Develop data acquisition, buffering, and synchronization logic to ensure reliable, low-latency, loss-tolerant communication.
• Parse and normalize vendor-specific data formats and SDKs into a unified internal data model.
• Handle error recovery, reconnection logic, logging, and health monitoring for connected devices.
• Collaborate with software/backend teams to define integration contracts, and with hardware/field teams to troubleshoot equipment issues.
• Write unit/integration tests, simulators/emulators for equipment, and maintain clear technical documentation.
• Support deployment on edge devices or industrial PCs (Linux/Windows), including packaging, updates, and remote diagnostics.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer/Electronics Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years of experience in embedded systems, device integration, or systems-level software development.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ and/or Python (Go, Rust, or C#/.NET a plus).
• Hands-on experience with at least one hardware communication protocol: serial (UART/RS-232/RS-485), Modbus, CAN, MQTT, OPC-UA, or vendor SDKs.
• Experience designing or consuming APIs (REST/WebSocket/gRPC) and working with message brokers (MQTT, RabbitMQ, Kafka, or similar).
• Solid understanding of multithreading/concurrency, real-time data handling, and networking fundamentals (TCP/UDP, sockets).
• Proficiency working in Linux environments (shell scripting, systemd services, debugging tools).
• Experience with version control (Git) and CI/CD practices.

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Experience building middleware, gateways, or SCADA/IoT edge software in a production environment.
• Familiarity with databases (SQL, time-series DBs like InfluxDB/TimescaleDB) for equipment data logging.
• Experience with Docker/containerized deployments on edge devices.
• Knowledge of firmware development (STM32, ESP32, ARM Cortex) or ability to read firmware code to understand device behavior.
• Experience with equipment in [your industry — e.g., medical devices, manufacturing, laboratory instruments, energy].
• Understanding of security for device communication (TLS, certificate management, authentication).

What Success Looks Like (First 6–12 Months)

• Month 1–2: Understand our equipment fleet, existing software stack, and integration pain points; deliver a middleware architecture proposal.
• Month 3–6: Ship a working middleware MVP connecting priority equipment to our software with documented APIs.
• Month 6–12: Harden the middleware for production (monitoring, error recovery, OTA/update strategy) and onboard additional equipment.