Team Red Dog is hiring a
Firmware & Embedded Systems Debug Engineer for our client, a Fortune 50 technology leader and world-class innovation client. This hands-on role focuses on firmware development, embedded systems debugging, hardware diagnostics, and test automation for an upcoming consumer hardware product moving toward global launch. You'll investigate complex and intermittent failures across C/C++ firmware, BLE and USB transports, RF, power, and device-to-host interactions while building PowerShell and Python tools that accelerate testing and root-cause analysis. This is an opportunity to work close to the hardware, influence product quality and launch readiness, and solve the difficult engineering problems that stand between prototype and production.
Top Required Skills (Must Haves):- Firmware and embedded systems debugging - 5+ years of hands-on experience with live and post-mortem debugging, including debugger attachment, crash dumps, core and trace analysis, stack traces, hardware diagnostics, and reading C/C++ firmware source.
- PowerShell and Python scripting/test automation - 3-5+ years building scripts, utilities, and test harnesses that automate firmware deployment, test execution, data capture, parsing, and triage; Batch and strong command-line skills are also valuable.
- BLE, USB, and device-to-host debugging - 3+ years troubleshooting transports, protocols, state machines, pairing, firmware updates, RF/radio behavior, power flows, and device/host interactions.
- Prototype hardware and root-cause analysis - Strong experience working hands-on with prototype devices and bench setups to reproduce intermittent failures, correlate logs and captures, isolate defects, and document evidence-backed findings.
Opportunity Overview:This role puts you directly into the challenging, high-impact engineering work behind an upcoming consumer hardware product headed toward global launch. Rather than simply executing predefined test cases, you'll own ambiguous and intermittent firmware problems-moving from crash dumps and traces to prototype hardware, device and host captures, and ultimately a precise explanation of where a failure lives.
You'll also have the opportunity to build your own tools and test infrastructure, turning repetitive manual processes into reusable automation. The work spans firmware, hardware, BLE, USB, radio/RF, power, and host systems, providing broad technical exposure while allowing your findings to directly improve product quality and launch readiness.
How you will make an impact:- Investigate complex firmware failures using live debugging, crash dumps, core dumps, traces, stack analysis, logs, and telemetry.
- Reproduce and isolate intermittent hardware and firmware issues on prototype devices and bench configurations.
- Read and analyze C/C++ firmware source to understand behavior, identify failure points, and support root-cause investigations.
- Correlate device-side behavior with host-side Windows and console captures to reconstruct failures and determine sequence and cause.
- Develop detailed test plans from technical requirements and ambiguous engineering scenarios.
- Execute firmware BVT, FVT, functional, regression, and stress testing across wired and wireless transports.
- Validate BLE, USB, pairing, firmware update, radio/RF, power, provisioning, and other critical device flows.
- Build PowerShell, Python, and Batch scripts and test harnesses to automate deployment, execution, capture, parsing, and triage workflows.
- Create reusable diagnostic and automation tools that reduce manual testing effort and accelerate investigations.
- Document defects in Azure DevOps with clear reproduction steps, logs, expected-versus-actual behavior, supporting evidence, and appropriate ownership.
- Partner with firmware, hardware, validation, and systems engineering teams to efficiently move issues from initial observation to actionable defects.
- Support firmware validation, test infrastructure, product readiness, and launch activities.
The expertise you bring:- Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
- 10+ years of relevant software, firmware, embedded systems, validation, diagnostics, or systems engineering experience.
- 5+ years of hands-on firmware or embedded debugging and diagnostics experience.
- Strong ability to read, understand, and troubleshoot C/C++ firmware source code.
- 3-5+ years of practical scripting and automation experience using PowerShell and Python; Batch experience is beneficial.
- 3+ years of experience debugging device-to-host communications, transports, or protocols such as BLE and USB.
- Experience analyzing crash dumps, traces, stack traces, logs, telemetry, and other diagnostic evidence.
- Strong understanding of embedded systems concepts, protocols, state machines, firmware updates, and hardware/software interactions.
- Experience working directly with prototype hardware, lab equipment, test benches, probes, harnesses, and diagnostic setups.
- Strong root-cause analysis and troubleshooting skills, particularly with difficult or intermittent failures.
- Experience developing test plans and performing functional, regression, stress, integration, and firmware validation testing.
- Excellent technical writing skills with the ability to produce clear, evidence-based defect reports and documentation.
- Experience with Azure DevOps or comparable engineering work-item and defect-tracking systems.
- Experience with RF/radio diagnostics, RSSI, antenna behavior, Qualcomm ADK/MDE, firmware telemetry pipelines, device/accessory ecosystems, or AI-assisted scripting and triage is a plus.
What makes a candidate highly successful in this role:A highly successful candidate approaches debugging methodically and is comfortable staying with a difficult problem until the evidence reveals what is happening. They can move fluidly between C/C++ firmware source, crash dumps, protocol specifications, hardware bench setups, BLE/USB captures, and host-side diagnostics while forming and testing hypotheses rather than relying on guesswork.
They are also builders, not simply users, of engineering tools. Strong candidates use PowerShell and Python to automate repetitive workflows, create diagnostic utilities and test harnesses, and make future investigations faster. Their technical documentation is precise enough that another engineer can reproduce the problem, understand the evidence, identify ownership, and move toward a fix without starting the investigation over.
Why Work with Team Red Dog?At Team Red Dog, people are at the heart of everything we do. Our commitment to personalized service and our deep experience in matching talented professionals with meaningful roles at some of the world's most inspiring companies is what sets us apart. We take the time to understand your unique skills, strengths, and passions-because we believe your career should reflect who you are.
Whether you're looking to grow, pivot, or simply find a place where your work truly matters, we offer opportunities that empower you to make a positive impact. With excellent benefits, a supportive team, and a role where you can thrive while doing what you love, we're here to help you take the next step with confidence. Join us-and discover what it means to be genuinely valued in your career.
Generous benefits package for qualified employees includes: Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, and life)
Employer-matched 401K plan
Paid Time Off
Flexible Paid Holiday Benefit
Estimated Start Date: Immediately
Location: Redmond, WA - Hybrid, 2 days/week onsite in Redmond, WA
Job #: 2586Job Type and Estimated Duration: W2/Contract
Rate: $79-$85/hour
Team Red Dog is committed to providing equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic. If you need accommodation during the recruitment process, reach out to , and we will work to ensure an accessible experience. We strictly adhere to federal, state, and local laws to maintain a workplace free from discrimination and harassment.
We offer competitive compensation aligned with U.S. industry standards, and our final offer will reflect the candidate's location, job-specific skills, experience, and knowledge.
All applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for sponsorship.
Team Red Dog is an E-Verify employer.
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a reference and background check.
Please no solicitations from C2C or recruiting firms.
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