Designation: Technical Architect – Embedded Systems
Skills: C/C++, FreeRTOS, Zephyr RTOS, Embedded Linux, Python
Qualification: B.E / B.Tech / M.Tech – EC, E&TC, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent
Location: Pune
Experience: 10 – 15 Years
Role overview
We are seeking an experienced Technical Architect – Embedded Systems to lead architecture and design decisions for complex embedded product programs. You will define technical direction across hardware-software co-design, RTOS-based firmware platforms, communication protocol stacks, and edge-level system integration, working closely with hardware engineers, cloud architects, and customer engineering teams to deliver robust, production-grade embedded products.
This role sits at the intersection of embedded engineering excellence and emerging edge intelligence, requiring both deep firmware expertise and an informed perspective on where AI/ML at the edge creates real product value.
Architecture & Technical Direction
- Define and own the overall embedded systems architecture and technical roadmap for customer engagements, covering hardware selection, software frameworks, RTOS/Linux strategy, and communication stacks.
- Lead hardware-software co-design decisions, balancing performance, power, BOM cost, and real-time constraints across MCU/MPU platforms.
- Develop detailed system specifications including hardware interfaces, software layering, boot and update mechanisms, and inter-processor communication.
- Architect secure, reliable, and resource-optimized firmware for constrained embedded platforms targeting industrial and building automation use cases.
- Evaluate and select appropriate communication protocol stacks – UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, CAN, RS-485, BACnet, Modbus, and MQTT – based on system requirements.
Engineering Leadership
- Provide sustained technical mentorship and code review oversight to embedded firmware development teams throughout the project lifecycle.
- Conduct system-level performance analysis, real-time response profiling, and memory optimization across RTOS-based embedded systems.
- Drive implementation of secure embedded development practices – secure boot, firmware signing, encrypted communication, and OTA update mechanisms.
- Lead or participate in architecture reviews, design reviews, and technical customer discussions, ensuring alignment with project goals and Softdel’s engineering standards.
- Act as a technical liaison between internal development teams and customers, translating complex embedded constraints into actionable product decisions.
Edge Intelligence Integration
- Identify and architect opportunities to deploy lightweight AI/ML inference at the edge, such as TinyML-based anomaly detection, predictive maintenance triggers, or sensor data preprocessing, on resource-constrained MCU/MPU platforms.
- Evaluate and apply model quantization, pruning, and optimization techniques to deploy inference models within firmware memory and compute constraints.
- Define the data pipeline from edge sensor acquisition through local inference and cloud telemetry reporting, ensuring low-latency and low-power operation.
Delivery & Risk Management
- Collaborate with project managers to define milestones, resource needs, and technical delivery plans for embedded systems programs.
- Proactively identify technical risks, constraint violations, and integration challenges and drive mitigation strategies before they impact delivery.
- Contribute to technical documentation including architectural diagrams, hardware-software interface specifications, and design decision records.
- Perform feasibility assessments for new programs, evaluating platform choices, toolchain compatibility, and regulatory requirements.
Technology Stack
- C / C++
- FreeRTOS
- Zephyr RTOS
- Linux (Embedded)
- Python (Scripting)
- ARM Cortex-M/A
- STM32 / NXP / TI
- UART / SPI / I2C
- CAN / RS-485
- Ethernet / TCP-IP
- BACnet / Modbus
- MQTT / CoAP
- Wi-Fi / BLE / Zigbee
- OPC-UA
- DALI / KNX
- TinyML / TF Lite
- JTAG / SWD Debug
- GDB / OpenOCD
- CMake / Yocto
- Git / CI Toolchains
Required Qualifications
- Embedded Experience: 10-15 years of hands-on embedded systems development with 5+ years in architecture roles for production-grade embedded products.
- Programming: Strong proficiency in Embedded C and C++; disciplined coding practices for real-time, safety-aware, and memory-constrained environments.
- RTOS Expertise: In-depth experience with FreeRTOS and/or Zephyr; task scheduling, IPC, synchronization, interrupt management, and low-power design.
- Hardware Platforms: Proven experience with MCU/MPU selection, bring-up, BSP development, and peripheral driver implementation (ARM Cortex-M/A preferred).
- Communication Protocols: Expertise in low-level peripheral protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN) and network/application-layer protocols (Ethernet, MQTT, BACnet, Modbus).
- Security: Experience implementing secure embedded development – secure boot, encrypted OTA updates, firmware signing, TLS on constrained devices.
- Debugging & Tools: Proficiency with JTAG/SWD debug probes, logic analyzers, GDB, and embedded development toolchains (Keil, IAR, GCC/CMake).
- Leadership: Demonstrated track record of mentoring technical teams and driving architecture decisions across multi-team embedded programs.
Good to Have
- Domain exposure to building automation, industrial IoT, or smart energy systems – familiarity with BACnet, Modbus, KNX, DALI, or OPC-UA is a strong plus.
- Experience with Linux-based embedded platforms and Yocto/Buildroot-based BSP customization for MPU-class devices.
- Hands-on experience with TinyML frameworks (TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers, Edge Impulse) for on-device inference on MCU platforms.
- Experience in safety-critical embedded development – ISO 26262 (automotive), or IEC 62443 (industrial security) compliance.
- Wireless protocol stack experience – BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Wi-SUN, Thread, or cellular (LTE-M / NB-IoT) for IoT connectivity.
