Firmware Engineering Manager

Firmware Engineering Manager (permanent position) – Morrisville, NC Our client is seeking a Firmware Engineering Manager who will lead the firmware engineering team while remaining a hands-on contributor. A large part of your time will be spent doing billable engineering work: designing, debugging, and delivering embedded and wireless systems for clients across a variety of customer markets. You will own day-to-day technical execution, guide engineers through complex challenges, and mentor and grow the firmware engineering team. This is a permanent position working a hybrid schedule on site in Morrisville, NC, with a starting salary range of $145,000 – there is upward mobility for more experience. The role offers a competitive base salary and great benefits. Candidates must reside in the Raleigh-Durham metro area to fulfill the schedule needs of the role, but non-local candidates willing to relocate may be considered. No visa sponsorship or subcontracting arrangements are available. Technical & Project Execution (Primary) • Perform detailed firmware design and development work on client projects as a billable contributor. • Estimate project tasks and timeline to inform statements of work. • Interface with prospective and existing clients to understand and manage technical expectations. • Ensure firmware solutions are well-architected, practical, and aligned with project objectives. • Lead and enforce design reviews and contributions from the engineering team to ensure technical quality, maintain standards, and ensure adherence to customer/product requirements. • Provide critical technical oversight and guide engineers through technical challenges. • Drive root cause analysis and document lessons learned to improve future execution. • Assist and lead on recovery plans when problems arise in projects and tasks (budget, schedule, etc.). Team Leadership • Manage a team of 5–10 firmware engineers, including workload oversight, daily technical direction, and personnel administration. • Hold regular one-on-ones; provide direct, constructive feedback on performance and professional development. • Identify and develop technical leads within the team; empower them to support daily project operations. • Mentor engineers on processes, design standards, and engineering best practices. • Inspire and motivate the team by aligning business and individual goals. • Foster a collaborative, communicative team culture; recognize and celebrate contributions from all team members regardless of seniority or background. • Exemplify and reinforce the company values. Strategy & Operations • Establish and maintain quality standards. • Drive continuous improvement through process definition and disciplined execution. • Collaborate with the Director of Engineering to allocate resources and staff projects effectively, ensuring optimal utilization and setting future work up for success. • Identify and manage third-party vendor relationships. • Provide DevOps support for team tooling, CI/CD infrastructure, and developer productivity as needed. • Establish and manage non-project firmware budget (tools, training, etc.). • Review and support the hiring process. • Collaborate with cross-functional peers to establish best practices and business-wide efficiencies. • Lead cross-discipline brainstorming sessions. • Maintain a smooth and well-defined onboarding experience for new staff. Required Qualifications • 10+ years of firmware industry experience, preferably in embedded design and/or wireless products. • 1+ years in a management or equivalent leadership position. • Mastery of C and/or C++. • Strong understanding of firmware and embedded system architecture and design. • Demonstrated track record of delivering firmware projects end-to-end. • Proficiency with embedded debugging tools: multimeters, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers. • Ability to read schematics and understand the impacts of logic gates, transistors, voltage dividers, level shifters, and other common components. • Ability to read hardware datasheets, user manuals, and implement firmware drivers. • Comfortable working across multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced consultancy environment. • Strong communication skills necessary to interact with project managers and clients. • Must reside in or be willing to relocate to the Raleigh-Durham metro area (hybrid schedule). No visa sponsorship or fully remote arrangements available. • Ability to travel up to 5% annually (limited and project-dependent). Preferred Qualifications • Experience managing firmware teams in a consulting or services environment. • Hands-on experience with Zephyr RTOS, Yocto/embedded Linux, or comparable platforms. • Familiarity with low-power firmware design for battery-powered IoT devices (sleep modes, power gating, current profiling). • Familiarity with DevOps tooling, CI/CD pipelines, and engineering productivity tooling. • Experience applying cybersecurity practices to embedded/IoT devices (secure boot, signed updates, SBOM, vulnerability response). • Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code. • Exposure to regulated-industry development (e.g., medical IEC 62304, industrial standards). Core Competencies • Deep technical credibility, comfortable diving into details, not just reviewing summaries. • Able to remain hands-on while running a team, and to serve as the senior technical voice in customer and internal reviews. • Strong leadership and people-development skills. • Excellent written and verbal communication. • Calm under pressure; effective at conflict resolution. • Process-oriented mindset with a bias toward continuous improvement. • Passion for customer satisfaction, technical excellence, and team success. • Ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment. • Demonstrates perseverance, making progress despite obstacles and setbacks. • Demonstrates creativity in problem-solving and brainstorming environments. • Thinks like an entrepreneur by considering business-wide impacts of decisions. • Organized and analytical thinker; proactively identifies and mitigates risks. • Passionate about results (not just checking boxes), and about customer satisfaction and technical quality. • Can make progress with minimal guidance in uncertain situations with conflicting priorities. • Recognizes the need for change and leads it effectively. • Persuasive communicator who can leverage team strengths and encourage effective collaboration. • Works independently with minimal technical guidance on execution. Education • Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field. Master’s degree preferred. If you're ready to step into a role where your skills directly shape organizational success, where every day tests your abilities in new ways, and where you'll grow alongside visionary leadership—this is your opportunity. Contact Martha Michaux at [email protected] with questions regarding this posting. A Word resume is preferred when applying. When looking for a job, have you ever heard the phrase… it is not about what you know, it is who you know? At HireNetworks, it really is all about who we know. Whether your current contract is coming to a close, you’re looking to advance your career or are a company on the hunt for new talent and wanting to expand…let HireNetworks put our networks to work for you. HireNetworks is an equal opportunity employer.