Designation: Designation Technical Architect – Embedded Systems
Skills: BLE, Embedded Linux, MQTT, Zigbee
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, 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 specs, 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:
12–15 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 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
