Senior Embedded Systems Architect

About the role

The Senior Embedded Systems Architect will shape the embedded control platform that drives Q-Block's quantum hardware. This role defines the firmware architecture, subsystem interfaces, and engineering standards for a deterministic, maintainable, and manufacturable real‑time control system. Reporting to the Technical Lead – Orchestration Control, the architect will set technical direction for the Embedded Firmware Engineers.

Key responsibilities

• Define and maintain the firmware and embedded systems architecture for a distributed, real‑time control platform.
• Establish subsystem interface specifications, communication protocols and data‑pipeline architectures to enable deterministic, low‑latency coordination.
• Evaluate and select microcontroller families, peripheral ICs, bus architectures and real‑time scheduling strategies.
• Design reusable firmware libraries, hardware abstraction layers and board support packages.
• Architect synchronization and timing distribution subsystems for sub‑microsecond precision.
• Lead firmware design reviews, set coding standards and testing frameworks.
• Mentor and develop Embedded Firmware Engineers and conduct root‑cause analysis for system failures.

Required profile

• 8+ years of professional embedded systems experience, with at least 3 years in system architecture or technical leadership.
• Expert‑level C/C++ for embedded systems and proven track record delivering multi‑module firmware platforms.
• Deep knowledge of ARM Cortex‑M architecture, DMA, memory‑mapped I/O and real‑time scheduling (bare‑metal and RTOS).
• Strong experience designing hardware abstraction layers and reusable driver frameworks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for architecture documents and interface specifications.

Required skills

• C/C++ for embedded development
• ARM Cortex‑M microcontrollers
• Real‑time operating systems (RTOS) and scheduling
• DMA and memory‑mapped I/O
• Hardware abstraction layers and driver frameworks
• Precision timing protocols (PTP, hardware‑assisted sync)
• FPGA integration with MCU firmware
• High‑speed serial interfaces and CI/CD for embedded software

What we offer

• Extended health care (including dental and vision)
• Life insurance