Firmware Engineer
First Order Effects
Firmware Engineer
First Order Effects
Defense hardware and infrastructure
First Order Effects · Austin, TX
First Order Effects (FOE) is building America's Infrastructure Prime for the robotic era. Autonomous ships, drones, and robots are rewriting how the world moves, fights, and builds, but none of them work without infrastructure to power them, connect them, and launch and recover them. That's what we build.
Our team comes from SpaceX, Anduril, Saronic, Lockheed Skunk Works, Forterra, and Fuse Energy. Before founding FOE, we built satellite ground stations that closed a national comms gap in days, deployed multi-megawatt power systems at commercial speed, and shipped autonomous surface vessels into Navy fleet production. We've built infrastructure at lightspeed before. Now we're applying that playbook to an entire company.
You'll write the firmware and software that runs on SURGE Hub’s MCUs and SOMs and controls the hardware inside it: battery management, inverters, relays, sensors (safety, fuel, temperature), displays, communication systems, and power supplies.
You'll work alongside the engineers on our team, with real room to own what you build. The scope runs from MCU firmware to software on the SOMs, and everything you write ships to the field.
Write firmware in C and C++ for MCUs running ThreadX, and software for SURGE Hub's SOMs.
Bring up and drive peripheral hardware over I2C, CAN, Modbus, and custom protocols.
Respond to and issue traffic on SURGE Hub's network in real time.
Write code that meets real-time timing, not just code that works on the bench.
Work in Linux and git every day.
Take projects from idea to outcome without waiting for a spec.
2+ years writing production firmware on a real-time operating system. ThreadX is ideal; FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar experience carries over.
Hands-on hardware bring-up over I2C, CAN, Modbus, or similar buses.
IP networking: you can work with the devices on SURGE Hub's local network, configure their IP addresses, and plug in your hardware as you write its firmware.
A record of excellence: firmware shipped at a high-bar engineering company, or a body of work that stands out. We care about depth and results more than industry background.
You want a fast pace and high ownership. You move from idea to fielded hardware quickly and own the outcome.
Embedded Linux experience is a plus.
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations (ITAR/EAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance; an active clearance is not required.
$120,000–170,000 base, plus equity. Final compensation depends on experience and the total equity package.
Defense hardware and infrastructure
First Order Effects is a defense technology company building hardware for autonomous systems. The company designs and manufactures expeditionary infrastructure and equipment that supports unmanned platforms in field environments. It serves defense organizations and teams deploying autonomous systems. Its operating model centers on engineering, manufacturing, testing, and field-support work organized around deployable products. Teams work across mechanical and electrical engineering, manufacturing, software, testing, supply chain, and field operations. The organization combines defense technology expertise with practical delivery for mission operators.
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