Embedded Firmware Engineer

Company Overview

Ideal Vacuum is an established scientific and industrial vacuum equipment company whose products support universities, laboratories, research facilities, and aerospace customers. Its team manufactures environmental testing systems and contributes to research and technological advancement.

Job Overview

Ideal Vacuum Products is seeking an experienced embedded firmware engineer to develop and support firmware for vacuum, spectroscopy, and other scientific and industrial equipment. You will help build our next generation of products using 32-bit Arm-based microcontrollers, work closely with our electrical engineering team, and keep released products reliable through careful debugging, testing, and updates.

Our newer PCB designs use STMicroelectronics STM32 microcontrollers. STM32 experience is strongly preferred, and we also welcome candidates with solid production firmware experience on comparable 32-bit Arm platforms. We value strong embedded C/C++ fundamentals and the ability to learn new devices and development tools.

Alongside new development, you will help maintain existing Atmel-based products and Atmel Studio projects. This includes adapting firmware when PCB components change, resolving production bugs, and verifying that updates work with the supported hardware revisions.

Responsibilities

• Develop new product firmware. Write clear, maintainable embedded C/C++ for 32-bit Arm-based microcontrollers, including STM32-based products. Implement device interfaces, measurement and control functions, and communications, and work with electrical engineers during board bring-up.
• Troubleshoot production problems. Reproduce failures, trace root causes, and fix existing code. Use in-circuit debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and diagnostic logs to distinguish firmware, hardware, and interaction problems.
• Support PCB revisions. Work with electrical engineers when a component is replaced or a board is improved. Compare device behavior and update drivers, initialization, pin assignments, timing, calibration, or communications as needed. Support firmware ports when microcontrollers change.
• Test changes thoroughly. Verify fixes on actual hardware, test normal and failure conditions, and check for regressions. Confirm compatibility with each supported board revision and document the results.
• Make releases reproducible. Maintain source control, build instructions, firmware version records, hardware compatibility information, and production programming instructions so the correct tested code reaches each board.
• Work closely with the team. Collaborate with electrical engineers, software developers, scientists, technicians, and manufacturing staff. Explain findings clearly and balance new development with timely support for production.

Experience

• STM32 development tools such as STM32CubeIDE or STM32CubeMX, and familiarity with vendor peripheral libraries or register-level programming.
• Bare-metal firmware, an RTOS, bootloaders, firmware updates, or robust handling of persistent settings.
• Maintaining Atmel/Microchip AVR or SAM codebases and existing Atmel Studio or Microchip Studio projects.
• Production test fixtures, automated regression testing, or Python/PC-side tools that support firmware development and manufacturing.
• Scientific instruments, industrial controls, sensor interfaces, precision measurements, or serial communications.

What You Will Bring

• Demonstrated professional experience developing and maintaining firmware for released hardware products, including 32-bit microcontrollers.
• Experience developing firmware for Arm-based MCUs. STM32 experience is strongly preferred; comparable 32-bit Arm experience is welcome.
• Strong embedded C skills and the ability to work with C++ code as needed, including memory use, interrupts, timers, state machines, and timing-sensitive behavior.
• Practical experience with peripheral interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, ADCs, or PWM, and the ability to learn unfamiliar devices from their datasheets.
• Ability to read relevant schematics, follow signals through a circuit, and debug independently at the bench.
• Disciplined use of Git or comparable version control, code review, documented testing, and controlled releases.
• Clear communication, careful problem-solving, and a willingness to understand existing designs before changing them.
• A degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated professional embedded development experience.

Why Join Ideal Vacuum

Work alongside the people designing, building, and testing the hardware your code runs on. You will contribute to new products and see the practical results of improvements to equipment already in production.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive, negotiable salary based on relevant experience.

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

How to Apply

Email [email protected] with the subject Embedded Firmware Engineer Application.

Please include your resume and a brief, nonconfidential example of a microcontroller firmware problem you personally solved. Tell us which MCU and tools you used, what you changed, and how you verified the result on hardware. New product bring-up, a production bug, or a firmware update accompanying a PCB revision are all relevant examples.

Ideal Vacuum Products

5910 Midway Park Blvd. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87109

Pay: $50,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) 3% Match
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance

Experience:

• Embedded Firmware: 2 years (Required)

Work Location: In person