E

Ember Life Sciences

Cloud-based temperature controls for pharma shipping

Firmware QA Engineer - Embedded Test Engineer

Full-Time
$100k - $120k/yr
Mid
Westlake Village, CA, USA
In Person
QA & TestingManual & Functional QA

About the job

Requirements
  • Experience testing connected systems such as IoT platforms, distributed services, or cloud-based applications.
  • Familiarity with embedded firmware validation concepts and hardware-integrated testing.
  • Strong understanding of test design, regression strategies, and risk-based testing.
  • Experience validating production-facing releases and assessing customer impact.
  • Ability to identify coverage gaps and communicate quality risks clearly.
  • Ability to work effectively across engineering, product, operations, and support teams.
  • Comfort clarifying scope, asking questions, and pushing back on priorities using data and risk.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to prioritize impact over activity and balance execution with continuous improvement while managing competing priorities.
Responsibilities
  • Validate firmware releases on hardware against defined scope and acceptance criteria.
  • Execute manual regression testing across core device behaviors, including power, sensors, charging, connectivity, and fault recovery.
  • Perform ship testing and pre-deployment verification, including device setup, configuration checks, and release-readiness validation for outgoing units.
  • Run dedicated firmware test passes for each release, including smoke, regression, and targeted suites, and report clear pass/fail results.
  • Validate GPS functionality and firmware behavior, including time to first fix, accuracy checks, signal loss and recovery, and low-signal edge cases.
  • Reproduce and triage device issues using logs and lab tools, including serial logs and in-house tools.
  • Partner with firmware and hardware engineers early to clarify expected behavior, edge cases, and testability needs.
  • Validate firmware-related connectivity behavior, including pairing and stability.
  • Support investigation and reproduction of customer-impacting issues by capturing device evidence and helping isolate root-cause boundaries.
  • Contribute light scripting and tooling to speed up repetitive checks; automation is not the core requirement.
  • Communicate quality status, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience validating firmware update flows, over-the-air or local, and confirming the device version after an update.
  • Experience testing GPS modules and interpreting GPS-related logs, including time-to-first-fix and accuracy metrics.
  • Scripting experience in Bash/shell and/or Python for test utilities, log parsing, and repeatable validation workflows.
  • Experience in regulated or safety-conscious environments such as healthcare, life sciences, aerospace, or original equipment manufacturing.

About the company

E

Ember Life Sciences

View
Website

Ember Life Sciences provides temperature control and waste reduction for pharmaceutical shipping via the Ember Cube and a cloud-based SaaS dashboard. The Ember Cube is a reusable, sensor-equipped container that streams real-time location, temperature, and humidity data using cellular connectivity. A return-to-sender workflow enables reuse of containers, cutting waste from single-use materials like Styrofoam, ice packs, and cardboard, with access to data through a subscription-based platform. The goal is to deliver precise temperature control, accurate tracking, and significant waste reduction across the pharmaceutical logistics ecosystem.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$27M

Headquarters

Westlake Village, California

Founded

N/A

Get referred to Ember Life Sciences

See people who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • April 29, 2026 Cube 2 launch added commercial product revenue and award credibility.
  • May 27, 2026 Amgen Ventures joined the $27 million Series A.
  • July 29, 2026 Alfresa invested and gained Japan healthcare rights, opening distribution scale.

What critics are saying

  • Single-market dependence is dangerous; Alfresa controls Japan healthcare sales starting July 2026.
  • Pharma incumbents like Sonoco ThermoSafe and Softbox can outspend Ember on distribution.
  • If Cube reliability fails, temperature excursions trigger recalls, liability, and customer churn fast.

What makes Ember Life Sciences unique

  • Ember Cube 2 pairs reusable hardware with cloud tracking, GPS, and cellular telemetry.
  • Alfresa's July 2026 exclusive Japan rights validate distribution, not just pilot interest.
  • Braithwaite's August 2026 hire signals hardware-software product execution beyond a mug spinout.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
PR Newswire
Aug 11th, 2026
Ember LifeSciences appoints ex-SharkNinja and Dyson exec as Chief Product Officer

Ember LifeSciences has appointed James Braithwaite as Chief Product Officer to lead product strategy and development for its cold chain technology solutions. Braithwaite brings over 20 years of experience in engineering and product development. Most recently, he served as Chief Innovation Officer at SharkNinja, where he led global product development and helped expand the company's revenue from approximately $250 million to more than $6 billion. Previously, he was Head of Product Development at Dyson, contributing to growth from roughly $50 million to $2.5 billion over nine years. Braithwaite joins as Ember continues advancing its cold chain technology, including the Ember Cube, which won the 2026 Red Dot Design Award. The company aims to address the $35 billion in annual pharmaceutical industry losses from temperature excursions.

Health Technology Net
Aug 11th, 2026
Ember LifeSciences appoints James Braithwaite as Chief Product Officer.

Ember LifeSciences appoints James Braithwaite as Chief Product Officer. Innovation executive to lead product strategy and development LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - As Ember LifeSciences, Inc. continues to expand its portfolio of award-winning cold chain technology, the company today announced the appointment of James Braithwaite as Chief Product Officer. In this role, Braithwaite will spearhead product strategy and development across Ember's next-generation cold chain solutions and patient-centric devices. Engineering & Technology "James is one of the most accomplished R&D and product development executives in the country," said Clay Alexander, founder and CEO of Ember LifeSciences. "He brings a proven track record of driving category-defining growth at the world's most innovative consumer electronics brands. His expertise at the intersection of complex hardware and cloud infrastructure is critical as we continue expanding our product portfolio and bringing the next generation of cold chain technology to benefit patients around the world." Braithwaite brings more than two decades of experience leading engineering, product development and R&D organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief Innovation Officer at SharkNinja, where he led global product development from concept through commercialization and helped expand the company's product portfolio into 12 new categories, contributing to growth from approximately $250 million to more than $6 billion in annual revenue. Earlier in his career, Braithwaite served as Head of Product Development at Dyson, where he helped grow the business from approximately $50 million to $2.5 billion in annual revenue over nine years. "I'm grateful to join a team that's tackling a longstanding challenge in healthcare with a practical, technology-driven solution," said James Braithwaite. "Ember has built an innovative platform that has the potential to transform how temperature-sensitive medicines and vaccines are transported, and I'm excited to help shape the company's next generation of products." Braithwaite joins Ember as the company continues to advance its award-winning cold chain technology. The Ember Cube combines industrial design with connected software to ensure transparency, real-time tracking and temperature integrity across the pharmaceutical supply chain. In 2026, the product received the "Best of the Best" Red Dot Design Award. As the global pharmaceutical industry faces $35 billion in annual losses from temperature excursions, Ember is helping shift the industry from a culture of hoping to one of knowing through real-time intelligence. Discover more Health Foundations & Medical Research Health Conditions Bollywood & South Asian Film In addition to his leadership roles at SharkNinja and Dyson, Braithwaite earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Brunel University and a Master of Design in Innovation Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art, and Imperial College, London. About Ember LifeSciences Ember LifeSciences initially launched as an offshoot of Ember Technologies' "Ember," the design-led temperature control brand and maker of the award-winning temperature control mug, which has surpassed half a billion dollars in total sales to date. Ember LifeSciences seeks to redefine global medicine distribution through leveraging Ember's proprietary temperature control technology to improve the way Health Technology Net transport life-saving medicines and vaccines around the world. To learn more about Ember LifeSciences, visit emberlifesciences.com.

Jiho, Inc.
Jul 31st, 2026
Alfresa Takes Stake in Ember to Bolster Pharma Cold Chain in Japan | PHARMA JAPAN

Alfresa Holdings said on July 30 that its core pharmaceutical wholesaling unit Alfresa has entered i…

Ochre Digi Media Pvt. Ltd.
Jul 30th, 2026
Ember LifeSciences and Alfresa form strategic alliance to strengthen pharmaceutical cold chain in Japan.

Ember LifeSciences and Alfresa form strategic alliance to strengthen pharmaceutical cold chain in Japan. Thursday, July 30, 2026 Ember LifeSciences has entered into a capital and business alliance with Alfresa Corporation to enhance pharmaceutical cold chain logistics in Japan. As part of the agreement, Alfresa will invest in Ember through its Series A preferred stock and gain exclusive sales rights for Ember's healthcare cold chain solutions in the Japanese market. The partnership will focus on improving the quality of temperature-controlled pharmaceutical distribution, including the evaluation of the Ember Cube and related technologies for Alfresa's Home Care Delivery service. The service supplies specialty medicines directly from healthcare providers to patients' homes. Ember's Series A funding round also includes investments from Amgen, Cardinal Health, Carrier and Sea Court Capital. The new investment is expected to support Ember's business expansion while strengthening collaboration between the two companies. Ember develops pharmaceutical cold chain technologies that combine temperature-controlled transport with real-time shipment monitoring. Its Ember Cube 2 maintains temperatures between 2°C and 8°C for more than 72 hours while continuously tracking shipment conditions and location. The reusable container is also designed to reduce packaging waste compared with conventional single-use shipping solutions. Alfresa is Japan's largest pharmaceutical wholesaler by domestic net sales. The alliance supports its efforts to strengthen cold chain capabilities as demand for temperature-sensitive biopharmaceuticals and vaccines continues to increase.

PR Newswire
Jul 30th, 2026
Ember LifeSciences secures Series A funding from Japan's top pharma wholesaler Alfresa

Ember LifeSciences has entered into a capital and business alliance with Alfresa Corporation, a subsidiary of Alfresa Holdings Corporation and Japan's leading pharmaceutical wholesaler. The partnership aims to improve pharmaceutical cold chain logistics across Japan. As part of the alliance, Alfresa will invest in Ember's Series A preferred stock and obtain exclusive sales rights in Japan's healthcare sector for Ember's solutions. Other Series A investors include Amgen, Cardinal Health, Carrier and Sea Court Capital. Alfresa will evaluate the Ember Cube 2 and related technologies for its Home Care Delivery service, which delivers specialty pharmaceuticals directly to patients' homes. The Ember Cube 2 maintains temperatures between 2°C and 8°C for over 72 hours whilst monitoring shipment conditions and location in real time. The partnership addresses growing demand for precise cold chain logistics as temperature-sensitive biopharmaceuticals and vaccines increase.