Senior Member of Technical Staff

About LeafLabs

LeafLabs is an engineering consulting firm specializing in advanced embedded systems, physical AI, and deeply technical product development. We help ambitious clients from pre-seed startups to Fortune 50 companies solve complex engineering challenges that bridge the divide between hardware and software.

LeafLabs was founded in 2009 by a group of friends from MIT on the premise that physical computing was the next big frontier.

We're a small, eclectic team with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets, but we all love solving hard problems and building cool stuff. We pride ourselves on our flat organization structure, the ethics and quality of our work, and the intelligence, expertise, and culture of our team.

We will never work on destructive military or financial applications, preferring to work on projects and research that directly better humanity. At LeafLabs, you'll have unmatched input and self-determination on your projects and the work that you do.

Our offices are located at Industry Lab in Inman Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. While we employ a flexible hybrid model, team members must be available to work on-site as necessary. To apply, you must be eligible to work in the United States. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

About the role

We're looking for a Senior Member of Technical Staff to join our tight-knit team of engineers who are passionate about building high-impact systems at the interface of hardware and software. This is a client-facing, hands-on role where you’ll lead technical engagements, shape solutions, and bring cutting-edge systems to life.

What you'll do

As a Senior Member of Technical Staff at LeafLabs, you will:

• Lead client engagements across industries like robotics, biotech, aerospace, and consumer electronics. You'll be the go-to expert shaping the technical direction of projects, often from the earliest feasibility stage through deployment.
• Architect systems that blend embedded firmware, custom electronics, FPGAs, and signal processing pipelines. You’ll define software-hardware boundaries, vet tradeoffs, and drive toward elegant, practical designs.
• Write code and build prototypes. We’re a hands-on engineering firm. You’ll be expected to write production-quality firmware in C/C++, spin up embedded Linux systems, or prototype on FPGAs-depending on what the project needs.
• Mentor and guide other engineers, contributing to a culture of rigor, learning, and collaboration.
• Act as a technical thought partner to our clients, helping them understand what’s possible, where the risks are, and how to get from idea to implementation.
• Shape LeafLabs itself. We’re small and nimble. You'll have an outsized voice in how we grow, what technologies we leverage, and how we define technical excellence.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in embedded systems, firmware, robotics, or FPGA/ASIC development
• Deep experience with at least one of the following:
• • Real-time embedded systems (C/C++)
  • Embedded Linux systems and device drivers
  • FPGA design in Verilog or VHDL
  • Mixed-signal system design or signal processing
  • Hardware design
• Strong grasp of systems thinking and the ability to reason across hardware/software boundaries
• Comfortable in ambiguity and capable of self-directed technical leadership
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. You’ll interface directly with clients, teammates, and external partners
• Prior consulting, startup, or cross-functional technical leadership experience is a strong plus
• B.S. in computer science/electrical engineering and 8+ years relevant professional experience, or the equivalent technical experience, is required.