Principal Embedded Systems Engineer

Hum was founded in 2019 to make rail transportation safer and smarter. Our products provide railroads, rail shippers, and railcar owners with the most advanced sensors for applications like predictive railcar maintenance, live railcar weights as accurate as a scale, and next generation fleet monitoring tools.

Hum is now entering a growth phase as it seeks to meet the needs of its customers across multiple continents. Hum is looking for the right people to join our team as we work to create incredible products that modernize rail transportation.

Hum is hiring a Principal Embedded Systems Engineer to lead our scaling efforts. As an early hire at Hum, this role comes with the opportunity to lead our hardware engineering team as we build it out or continue as an individual contributor. This is a once-in-a-career opportunity for the right person.

What you’ll be doing

‍Skunk Works Developer –Hum has a suite of sensors that have opportunities for further refinement and requirements for customer support. We also have a number of products in the pipeline requiring development, some of which have never been done before. This position is on the bleeding-edge of development and requires someone with the ability to integrate the latest technological innovations into their work.

Best-In-Class Engineering –Hum aims to be the premier engineering firm in the transportation telematics space. Our customers come to us to solve their challenges because our depth of expertise far surpasses anything our competitors can do. We don’t cut corners. We’re not building products for the Walmart bargain bin. We’re building best-in-class hardware and software that pushes the envelope on what’s possible. 

What we’re looking for

Fundamental Thinkers –No situation is the same and no two projects or customers are alike. We start from basic principles of physics and mechanics to engineer best-in-class products. 

MacGuyver Genes –There’s no book with answers in the back to solve our customers’ challenges. Our team of engineers are experts in resourcefulness and creativity to unlock the best path forward.

Never Satisfied –There’s always something more to improve. Even after we deliver for our customers, we’re constantly integrating the latest technology developments to get better every day.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and implement firmware for next-generation IoT sensors deployed in freight rail applications.
• Lead the development of ultra-efficient low-power management strategies to extend device lifespan in remote, battery-powered environments.
• Communicate nuanced technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Drive the integration and optimization of wireless protocols such as LoRa and BLE, ensuring robust, long-range, and low-energy communication.
• Design and refine filtering solutions to enhance signal quality and reliability under noisy, industrial conditions.
• Define firmware architecture and system-level requirements in collaboration with hardware, software, and product teams.
• Establish best practices for firmware development, including code quality, testing, and documentation standards.
• Debug complex, system-level issues and optimize performance across hardware-firmware boundaries.
• Influence the company’s technical roadmap by evaluating emerging technologies and proposing strategic advancements in IoT and sensor systems.

Ideal qualities

• 10 years of experience in firmware development for embedded systems, with a focus on IoT or sensor technologies.
• Exceptional mastery of low-power management techniques, demonstrated through successful deployments in energy-constrained devices.
• Expert-level experience with LoRa and BLE, including protocol customization and performance tuning.
• Proficiency in deploying OTA functionality across low-power embedded systems.
• Proficiency in handling Cellular CATM-1 and NB-IOT applications, including familiarity with Nordic nrfConnect SDK.
• Strong experience in RF applications including antenna tuning, custom mesh protocol development, and large-scale deployments.
• Deep expertise in vibration analysis and signal processing, with a track record of solving real-world challenges(e.g., predictive maintenance).
• Proficiency in C/C for embedded platforms (e.g., ARM Cortex-M), with experience in both RTOS and bare-metal environments. Experience with Zephyr Project RTOS is a plus.
• Proven ability to lead complex projects, from concept to production, in resource-limited settings.
• Strong debugging skills using tools like oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and JTAG debuggers.
• Excellent communication skills to articulate technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.

This position is located in Austin, TX.

Candidate must be a US citizen or H1B visa holder.