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Senior Firmware Engineer

Helion

The Role

Overview

Develop embedded firmware for fusion machine control, diagnostics, and data acquisition.

Key Responsibilities

  • toolchain improvement
  • command interfaces
  • rapid prototyping
  • protocol implementation
  • board bring-up
  • firmware development

Tasks

-Contribute to continuous improvement of embedded toolchains, build systems, and test automation -Design and refine embedded command interfaces, configuration utilities, and automated test frameworks -Rapidly prototype novel control and measurement concepts to support new machine architectures -Implement and maintain low-level communication protocols (UART, SPI, I²C, CAN, EtherCAT, etc.) -Bring up new boards, sensors, and actuators — debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG interfaces -Work closely with hardware and software engineers to translate system requirements into embedded designs -Develop, test, and maintain firmware for real-time embedded systems used in machine control and diagnostics -Collaborate across disciplines to ensure firmware integrates seamlessly with high-level software and data systems -Optimize performance, reliability, and timing synchronization across distributed embedded systems

Requirements

  • rtos
  • c++
  • python
  • uart
  • git
  • bs ee

What You Bring

-Experience with real-time MCU development (bare metal or RTOS-based) -8+ years of experience developing embedded systems in C, C++, and/or Rust -Scripting experience in Python for automation, hardware bring-up, or testing -Strong understanding of digital communication protocols (UART, SPI, I²C) -BS or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science -Experience with version control systems (Git) -Familiarity with mixed-signal circuit design and debugging using oscilloscopes, DMMs, and logic analyzers -Solid grasp of embedded systems fundamentals: power, timing, data, and memory budgets -Experience developing and debugging on Linux-based systems

Benefits

-Paid parental leave and support (up to 16 weeks) -Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for employees and their families -Short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance -Up to 5% employer 401(k) match -31 Days of PTO (21 vacation days and 10 sick days) -Annual wellness stipend -10 Paid holidays, plus company-wide winter break

The Company

About Helion

-Pursues a bold vision: taming the power of stars on Earth through fusion energy. -Develops magneto-inertial fusion technology, merging plasma at extreme speeds and capturing energy directly. -Pioneers in aneutronic fusion, recycling byproducts to generate helium-3, a sustainable fuel source. -Shifts from lab-scale to industrial-scale fusion with the Polaris device, supported by legal agreements. -Aims for rapid iteration with reactor designs capable of one pulse per second, enabling modular fusion systems.

Sector Specialisms

Energy

Nuclear/Fusion