Firmware Engineer

At Luna Innovations, we measure and manage light in optical fiber. Our Optics/Polarization product line, based in Chino, CA, specializes in industry-leading components, modules, and test equipment for the characterization and control of optical polarization. Our instruments, ranging from dynamic optical delay/phase management and high-speed polarization state management to full-function polarization light analyzers, are critical for optical communications, silicon photonics testing, and fiber optic sensing.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Firmware Engineer II, with flexibility to hire at the Senior level for the right candidate, to join the engineering team for our photonics instrumentation. Final level and pay will be based on experience, skills, and qualifications. You will write the embedded firmware that controls precision optical components, drives high-speed data acquisition, and enables communication between our instruments and host software. You will work closely with hardware, optical, and software engineers to bring up new boards and turn new instrument designs into reliable products.

If you enjoy working close to the hardware and want to build the firmware behind state-of-the-art optical test equipment, we want you on our team.

Key Responsibilities

• Firmware Architecture & Design: Design, develop, and maintain firmware for embedded systems, including bare-metal and real-time platforms.
• Embedded Hardware Integration: Interpret electrical schematics and IC datasheets to understand hardware functionality, develop firmware interfaces, and support embedded system integration.
• Real-Time Control & Data Streaming: Develop real-time firmware for precise timing, closed-loop control, high-speed data acquisition, data processing, and streaming between embedded hardware and host systems.
• Board Bring-Up & Debug: Bring up new boards in the lab with the hardware team and troubleshoot firmware and hardware issues.
• Hardware-Software Interface: Integrate communication protocols and command interfaces between embedded instruments and host applications, working closely with hardware and software teams.
• Documentation & Testing: Create and maintain firmware requirements, design documents, test plans, and release procedures.

Required Qualifications: Firmware Engineer II

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of professional embedded firmware development experience, ideally for instruments, test equipment, or other hardware products.
• Proficiency in embedded C/C++ programming.
• Experience with Git and version control.
• Experience with microcontroller or ARM-based systems, including bare-metal firmware or real-time operating systems (RTOS).
• Experience developing firmware for hardware interfaces, data acquisition, and real-time control, including timing-sensitive operations and hardware-firmware integration.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and hardware datasheets.
• Hands-on experience with PCB bring-up, hardware troubleshooting, and firmware debugging using laboratory test equipment, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG debuggers.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Additional Required Qualifications: Senior Firmware Engineer

• 5+ years of professional embedded firmware development experience.
• Experience designing firmware architecture for embedded systems, including real-time control, hardware interfaces, or data acquisition.
• Hands-on experience with FPGA development using Verilog/VHDL, including design, simulation, debugging, and hardware integration, or equivalent FPGA development experience on processor-FPGA SoC platforms.
• Working knowledge of processor-FPGA SoC integration, including hardware-software interfaces and system-level integration.
• Ability to lead technical design decisions and mentor other engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with embedded Linux development and maintenance, including BSP, Device Tree, and hardware integration.
• Experience with high-speed communication interfaces.
• Experience with digital signal processing or numerical computation.
• Experience with firmware build automation, continuous integration, or automated testing.
• Experience with instrument communication protocols.
• Experience developing firmware for scientific instruments, industrial automation, or other electronic hardware products.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Luna is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Luna will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.