Principal Embedded Firmware Engineer
K2 Space
K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.
The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.
With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.
The Role
We are seeking a Principal Embedded Firmware Engineer to lead the architecture and development of low-level embedded firmware for high-performance mixed-signal and digital SoCs. This role is central to enabling first-silicon success, bridging hardware design and system software across pre-silicon, bring-up, and production phases. You will work closely with digital ASIC, mixed-signal, RF, verification, and system teams to define firmware architecture, validate hardware functionality, and build robust, scalable firmware foundations that power future products.
Responsibilities
- Define the overall embedded firmware architecture for custom SoCs, including boot flows, hardware abstraction layers (HALs), drivers, and system services.
- Develop low-level firmware in C/C++ (and assembly where needed) for CPUs, DSPs, and microcontrollers embedded within SoCs.
- Own boot ROM, first-stage bootloader, secure boot, and early initialization sequences.
- Design and implement device drivers for on-chip peripherals (DMA, memory controllers, interconnects, SerDes, ADC/DAC interfaces, timers, GPIO, etc.).
- Lead pre-silicon firmware development.
- Drive post-silicon bring-up, including power-on sequencing, clocking, reset, memory bring-up, and peripheral validation.
- Debug complex HW/FW issues using JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, trace tools, and custom debug hooks.
- Collaborate with SoC architects to define register maps, memory maps, interrupts, DMA flows, and debug infrastructure.
- Provide firmware input during architecture, PDR/CDR, and silicon reviews.
- Bring up and integrate RTOS or bare-metal.
- Support integration with higher-level system software or application processors as needed.
- Implement robust error handling, logging, and recovery mechanisms.
- Support manufacturing test, production firmware, and field diagnostics.
- Contribute to long-term firmware maintainability and scalability across multiple SoC generations.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in embedded firmware development, with significant ownership of SoC-level firmware.
- Deep expertise in C/C++ for embedded systems; strong understanding of low-level hardware interactions.
- Hands-on experience with SoC bring-up from first silicon.
- Strong understanding of CPU architectures (ARM, RISC-V, or similar), memory systems (SRAM, DRAM, DDR, caches), interrupts, DMA, interconnects, and low-power states.
- Experience working closely with ASIC/SoC design teams.
- Proven ability to debug complex hardware/firmware issues.
Nice to Have
- Experience with secure boot, hardware security modules, or cryptographic accelerators.
- Familiarity with pre-silicon environments (RTL simulation, emulation, FPGA prototyping).
- Experience with high-speed interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet, JESD, SerDes).
- Background in satellite communication, networking, compute, automotive, or high-reliability systems.
- Experience defining firmware for radiation-tolerant or safety-critical systems.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Base salary range for this role is $190,000 - $285,000 + equity in the company
- Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
- Comprehensive benefits package including unlimited paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks
If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!
If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
Export Compliance
As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”
The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.
Equal Opportunity
K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
