Senior Firmware Engineer

At Wavelynx, we design and manufacture open-architecture physical access control hardware and software solutions. Our reader and controller technologies bridge the gap between traditional smart credentials, mobile credentials (Apple Wallet, Employee Badges), and secure cloud-managed networks. We empower physical security systems to be flexible, interoperable, and future-proof. Position Overview We are seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to develop and optimize current embedded products along with our next-generation of access control products. In this role, you will work closely with hardware, software, and systems engineering teams to design resilient firmware handling NFC/RFID communications, secure element integrations, cryptographic protocols, and network communications (OSDP, Ethernet, IP-based access control). Supervisory Responsibilities None Duties/Responsibilities - Architect, implement, and maintain bare-metal and RTOS-based firmware for smart card readers and controllers. - Optimize high-frequency (13.56 MHz) RFID/NFC field processing, ISO/IEC 14443, ISO/IEC 18092, and MIFARE/DESFire protocols. - Integrate and secure mobile credentials, including Apple Wallet and Google Wallet credentials, using Secure Elements (SE) and Secure Application Modules (SAM). - Implement secure physical and logical communication protocols between readers, controllers, and cloud environments (e.g., OSDP, TLS/TCP/IP, RS-485, BLE, Ethernet). - Develop robust firmware update mechanisms (OTA / FOTA) over network protocols while ensuring tamper resistance and zero downtime. - Troubleshoot complex networking issues across local serial buses, IP networks, and RF interfaces. - Collaborate with hardware engineers during schematic review, board bring-up, signal integrity testing, and power management optimization. - Drive automated firmware testing, unit testing, and CI/CD pipelines for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments. - Lead root-cause analysis for field escalation issues related to RF performance, timing dependencies, or protocol compliance. Required Skills/Abilities - 5+ years of professional embedded software development experience using C and C++. - Strong background with real-time operating systems (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar) and ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers. - Experience with logic analyzers and oscilloscopes. - Be willing to travel domestically and internationally ranging from 0 to 10 days per year. Nice to Haves - Direct background in the Physical Access Control System (PACS) industry. - Hands-on experience with NFC chipsets (e.g., ST25R-series similar), ISO 14443 Type A/B, Felica, or ISO 15693 standards. - Proven expertise with industrial or secure communication protocols (OSDP, RS-485, TCP/IP, UDP, TLS/DTLS, MQTT, or BLE stack development). - Deep knowledge of symmetric/asymmetric encryption (AES, ECC, RSA), PKI, secure boot, and hardware root-of-trust implementations. - Experience with static code analysis and RF test equipment (e.g., Proxmark, network analyzers). - Exposure to compliance and certification standards (UL 294, FCC, CE, ISO/IEC standards). Salary Benefits Salary: $120-150k Benefits include great rates on company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision with HSA-eligible plans available, generous retirement with up to 6% 401k match, and holidays, vacation, and sick leave.