Senior Firmware Engineer
First seen by Alion on Sep 11, 2026.
Key Responsibilities:
- Maintain firmware for EV charger controllers (AC and DC fast chargers) on ARM Cortex-M/A based platforms.
- Maintain charge communication protocols - LECCS (Level 3 DC fast charging, CHAdeMO-adjacent), OCPP 1.6/2.0.1 for CSMS communication, ISO 15118 (PLC-based EV-EVSE communication, Plug & Charge), and IEC 61851 for AC charging control.
- Maintain the telematics module: cellular (4G/LTE, NB-IoT) and Wi-Fi connectivity, MQTT/HTTPS uplinks to the cloud backend, GPS/location reporting, and remote diagnostics.
- Implement secure OTA firmware update pipelines for chargers deployed in the field, including rollback and fail-safe handling.
- Develop robust state machines for charging session lifecycle: authentication, authorization, energy metering, fault handling, and session termination.
- Debug field issues using JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and CAN/PLC bus traces; work closely with hardware and power electronics teams on EMI/EMC and signal integrity issues.
- Collaborate with the cloud/backend team to define telemetry data schemas, remote configuration, and fleet monitoring dashboards.
- Write unit and integration tests, contribute to CI pipelines, and maintain firmware documentation and protocol compliance records.
- Mentor junior firmware engineers and review code for reliability, safety, and protocol conformance.
- Own firmware end-to-end for a fast-growing charging network - from silicon to cloud.
- Work on one of the most protocol-rich problems in embedded systems today, spanning power electronics, networking, and telematics.
- You will be working with a small, senior team with high ownership and direct impact on product reliability at scale.
Ideal Candidate:
- 5 to 8 years of embedded firmware development in C/C++ on microcontrollers (STM32, TI, NXP, or similar).
- Hands-on experience with EV charger communication protocols: LECCS, OCPP (1.6/2.0.1), ISO 15118, IEC 61851, and familiarity with CHAdeMO/CCS/GB/T charging standards.
- Strong understanding of CAN, Modbus, RS-485, and PLC (Power Line Communication, e.g. HomePlug Green PHY / QCA7000) for EV-EVSE communication.
- Experience building telematics/connectivity firmware: cellular modem integration (Quectel/SIMCom/u-blox), MQTT/HTTPS/TLS, GPS, and remote monitoring or fleet-management systems.
- Solid grasp of RTOS concepts (FreeRTOS or similar) and real-time, safety-critical firmware design.
- Familiarity with power electronics interfacing - metering ICs, relay/contactor control, ground fault detection (GFCI), and charger safety interlocks is a strong plus.
- Comfortable with debugging tools (JTAG/SWD, oscilloscope, CAN/PLC analyzers) and root-causing field failures.
- Working knowledge of relevant safety and compliance standards (IEC 61851, IEC 61850, UL 2594/2202, or equivalent) is a plus.
- Strong communication skills and experience mentoring or leading a small firmware team.
- Prior experience at an EV charging OEM, CPO (charge point operator), or automotive/EVSE supplier.
- Exposure to Plug & Charge / ISO 15118-2/-20 security and certificate handling.
- Experience with cloud-side OCPP backend (CSMS) integration and testing.
- Familiarity with functional safety practices (ISO 26262 or IEC 61508) in an embedded context.
Skills
Firmware, Charging System, Embedded System, Microcontroller, C, C++, Cloud, PLC