Staff Firmware Architecture Engineer, Propulsion and Battery

About ALSO.

We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO-replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.

In this role, you will play a large role in platform-level firmware development, being a key contributor to the foundational software layers that enable all vehicle products-including drivers, real time operating system integration, and build infrastructure. You will own the end to end design, development, and test of critical embedded software and tooling that supports the full scope of ALSO’s products. You will also drive architectural decisions for the firmware platform and build systems, enabling teams to efficiently develop, test, and deploy firmware across the product portfolio.

What you will do:

• Driver Firmware Architecture: Lead architectural discussion in support of the design and implementation of hardware abstraction layers, peripheral drivers, and board support packages across MCU families.

• Operating System Management: Support RTOS configuration, integration, and optimization; drive decisions on OS selection, task architecture, and resource management.

• Core Firmware Frameworks and Libraries: Design and Develop frameworks for core platform functions like telemetry generation, updating firmware, and health monitoring, in reusable, common libraries.

• Build System: Contribute to Bazel-based build infrastructure; ensure reproducible builds, efficient dependency management, and scalable build configurations across targets.

• Architecture & Standards: Contribute to coding standards, driver interface design, and platform APIs; make informed architectural decisions on MCU selection, memory management, and peripheral allocation.

• CI/CD Infrastructure: Drive build and test infrastructure improvements; support toolchain maintenance, manage compiler/linker configurations, and ensure fast, reliable CI pipelines.

• Performance & Optimization: Ensure architectural decisions support boot time optimization, memory footprint reduction, and runtime performance tuning across the platform.

• Collaborate with other engineering disciplines (Electrical, Mechanical, Test, etc.) on designing and documenting the SW integration workflow of various ECUs.

• Collaborate with other Firmware teams to design robust, reusable and scalable software.

• Provide vehicle system integration support including feature implementation, ECU handshaking, debugging, root cause analysis etc.

• Drive firmware initiatives to ensure product quality and vehicle safety in the powertrain and battery systems.

What you will bring:

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

• 7+ years of experience in firmware development, ideally experienced in safety critical, time sensitive, and resource constrained environments

• Previous experience as Software Architect, familiar with attributes that make code portable, maintainable and scalable

• Expert in C programming, ideally familiar with C++, Python, and bash scripting

• Delivering software-enabled hardware products, including low-level firmware development (drivers, bootloaders)

• Hands-on experience debugging in real world environments with embedded diagnostics tooling such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG etc.

• Strong understanding of control systems and system integration

• Familiarity with electric drivetrains, battery technology, and common vehicle communication protocols and peripherals (e.g. ADC, CAN, force, IMU sensors)

• Familiarity with model-based design and software development tools such as MATLAB/Simulink

• Familiarity with real-time operating system platforms, ideally in functional-safety critical applications

• Familiarity with static analysis and linting tools to ensure software quality and correctness

• Experience with CI/CD & test automation applied to consumer facing, software-enabled hardware products

• Highly collaborative mindset and strong communication skills

The salary for this position ranges from $210,000 to $245,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

Perks and Benefits

• Robust health coverage. Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Also. with FSA & HSA options.

• One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates.

• Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny.

• Flexible time off.

• 401(k) match.

Why ALSO.

We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there-wherever it is you’re headed.

We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world-class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces.

Together we’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.