Embedded Software Engineer

We are hiring a Temporary (12 months) Senior Embedded Systems Engineer-hybrid * in Des Moines, IA.

*This role is hybrid and based in Des Moines, IA; combining remote work with in-office collaboration. Leaders set schedules to align in-office days with onsite projects, collaboration needs with mandatory in-office days dependent on work.

What You’ll Be Doing:

The Senior Embedded Systems Engineer is responsible for developing, testing, and maintain embedded software and hardware solutions to support the manufacturing of our products and to analyze and evolve product designs to maintain production viability. The ideal candidate has strong experience with microcontrollers, real-time operating systems, low-level software, and hardware-software integration & debugging. This role collaborates closely with hardware engineers and product operations to deliver reliable integrated solutions.

· Design, develop, and maintain embedded software for microcontroller and processor-based systems as part of supporting manufacturing, field issue, and production ramp-up activities.

· Develop and debug firmware drivers for peripherals such as UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, GPIO, ADC, and timers as part of root cause of failure evaluations and end-of-life component replacements.

· Integrate embedded software with custom hardware designs.

· Work with RTOS environments & round-robin scheduler.

· Perform system bring-up, debugging, and root-cause analysis using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers.

· Select and qualify electronic components based on performance, cost, availability, and lifecycle as part of supporting end-of life component replacement.

· Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and firmware engineers to define test system architecture and interfaces as part of supporting manufacturing, field issue, and production ramp-up activities.

· Create and maintain technical documentation, including design specifications, schematics, BOMs, test reports & work instructions as part of supporting manufacturing, field issue, and production ramp-up activities.

· All other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring to the Table:

· Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

· 3 years of experience developing embedded systems with hardware integration.

· Proficiency in C/C for embedded environments.

· Experience with ARM Cortex-M or similar microcontroller architecture.

· Solid understanding of embedded fundamentals: memory management, interrupts, timing, concurrency & threading.

· Knowledge of communication protocols such as USB, BLE, RS232.

· Experience debugging at the hardware/software boundary.

· Experience working with hardware design concepts (schematics, datasheets, board bring-up).

· Familiarity with version control systems (e.g. Git).

Preferred Qualifications:

· Experience developing real-time applications in C#.

· Experience with scheduling concepts & memory management.

· Experience with bootloaders, firmware updates.

· Knowledge of reliability-critical systems (automotive, medical).

· Familiarity with scripting languages (Python, Bash) for test automation.

Why Work for Us?

Check out this list of a few of the many good reasons why we are a Top Workplace:

• Salary $115,000-$125,000 potential 5% annual bonus incentive 401(k) benefits.
• We are the nation’s largest interlock provider, and our Mission is to help people live and drive responsibly.
• Mindr won the 2025 Top Workplace Award locally and nationally–and 2026 Best Place for Working Parents Award
• Growth Oriented- 7 years of over 10% growth annually. Doubled in employee size over the past 2-3 years.
• A comprehensive and highly competitive benefits package, including:
  • Dental Insurance
  • Health Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • 401(k)
  • Paid Holidays
  • Paid Time Off
  • Ongoing Professional Training 
  • And more

This is a Contract position based out of Urbandale, IA.

The pay range for this position is $80000.00 - $135000.00/yr.

bonus, 401k, unlimited PTO

This is a hybrid position in Urbandale,IA.

This position is anticipated to close on Jun 13, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

Salary : $80,000 - $135,000