Demo

Firmware Engineer

Somewear Labs
Chicago, IL Full Time
POSTED ON 11/18/2025
AVAILABLE BEFORE 12/18/2025
"The United States Air National Guard’s 131st Rescue Squadron recently relied on Somewear’s ATAK integration to coordinate a civilian rescue 1,200 miles off the U.S. Pacific coast. Because our platform provided consistent communications and situational awareness across air, ground, and medical teams, the mission wrapped up in half the expected time — and lives were saved."

At Somewear Labs, that’s the kind of impact our technology delivers. We support those who venture beyond the limits of cellular connectivity with a satellite-enabled platform built for the world’s most demanding environments. Our customers include helicopter paramedics, backcountry explorers, wildland firefighters, and U.S. Special Forces operators.

We’re looking for a Firmware Engineer to help us push the boundaries of what’s possible in off-grid communication. You’ll work at the intersection of custom hardware, satellite technology, LTE, Bluetooth, sensors, and mesh networking — building software that directly powers life-saving missions in the field.

Why this role matters

Firmware is the beating heart of our platform. Every feature you ship helps ensure critical information reaches the right people at the right time, even in the harshest environments. As an early team member at a Series A company, you’ll have outsized ownership and the chance to shape our products and engineering culture for years to come.

What you’ll do

  • Develop embedded software in C, C , and Rust targeting Zephyr RTOS
  • Take features from concept → shipped product on our custom hardware
  • Debug and validate new board designs, drivers, and firmware builds
  • Implement device drivers and help with board bring-up
  • Collaborate with electrical engineers on hardware design and validation
  • Partner with mobile engineers to evolve our communication protocols
  • Establish and refine engineering standards, tools, and processes for embedded development

What we’re looking for

  • 4 years of professional software engineering experience
  • 2 years of firmware development on constrained embedded systems
  • Experience with wireless protocols (WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, mesh networking)
  • Familiarity with cellular networks (LTE, 5G)
  • Hands-on experience with RTOS (Zephyr or similar) and hardware interfaces (UART, SPI, I²C)
  • Comfort debugging embedded systems with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and power tools
  • A passion for building technology where reliability and safety are non-negotiable
  • Willingness to dive deep across the stack and take ownership from idea to product

What You’ll Love About Somewear

  • Mission-driven work: your code helps save lives in real-world operations
  • Ownership from day one: build end-to-end features that shape the product and user experience
  • Challenging problems: from power-constrained firmware to resilient off-grid protocols
  • Close-knit, ambitious team: collaborate with engineers who are motivated, curious, and fun to work with
  • Direct impact: access to senior leadership and a role in shaping engineering culture at a fast-growing company

Work from our San Francisco HQ or Chicago office.

Ready to design firmware that keeps people connected when it matters most? Apply now and join us in building the future of mission-critical connectivity.

Salary.com Estimation for Firmware Engineer in Chicago, IL
$77,873 to $86,959
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Firmware Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Firmware Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$80,479 - $90,779
Income Estimation: 
$90,609 - $105,383
Income Estimation: 
$80,479 - $90,779
Income Estimation: 
$90,609 - $105,383
Income Estimation: 
$90,609 - $105,383
Income Estimation: 
$117,524 - $131,245
Income Estimation: 
$162,729 - $194,659
Income Estimation: 
$173,217 - $199,061
Income Estimation: 
$117,524 - $131,245
Income Estimation: 
$145,630 - $167,634
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Somewear Labs

Somewear Labs
Hired Organization Address Chicago, IL Full Time
Product Manager, Hardware Somewear’s software platform and satellite-powered hardware enable commercial and government t...
Somewear Labs
Hired Organization Address Chicago, IL Full Time
Somewear’s software platform and satellite-powered hardware enable commercial and government teams to maintain situation...
Somewear Labs
Hired Organization Address Chicago, IL Full Time
About Somewear Somewear’s software platform and satellite-powered hardware enable commercial and government teams to mai...
Somewear Labs
Hired Organization Address Chicago, IL Full Time
Somewear supports those who venture beyond the limits of cellular connectivity with a satellite-enabled platform. We ser...

Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Firmware Engineer jobs in the Chicago, IL area that may be a better fit.

Firmware Engineer

Yale and August U.S., Deerfield, IL

Staff Firmware Engineer

Sibel Health, Chicago, IL

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!