JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Product and Quality Manager

Company: NextGen RF Design, Inc.

Location: North Mankato, MN

Job Type: Full-Time

Apply directly at https://www.nextgenrf.com/about/careers/

NextGen RF Design is seeking a Senior Embedded Software Engineer with 7 years of experience developing embedded C software for real-time, hardware-centric systems. This role is for a hands-on technical expert who designs, implements, debugs, and maintains low-level firmware across microcontrollers, SoCs, and embedded Linux platforms.

You will play a critical role in architecting and delivering robust, production-ready embedded software, working closely with hardware, FPGA, DSP, and systems engineers. While mentorship and technical leadership are expected, this is not a people-management role, it is focused on deep technical contribution and ownership. This role requires strong hands-on experience debugging complex embedded systems running both RTOS and Embedded Linux in production environments

Key Responsibilities

· Embedded Software Development

o Design, develop, and maintain embedded C/C++ firmware for microcontroller- and SoC-based systems.

o Implement real-time software using RTOS environments (e.g., FreeRTOS, or similar).

o Develop and maintain low-level drivers, BSPs, bootloaders, and hardware abstraction layers.

o Write efficient, deterministic, and maintainable code for interrupt-driven and time-critical systems.

o Embedded Linux is used where appropriate and complements MCU/RTOS-based systems.

§ Kernel configuration and debugging

§ Device drivers

§ User-space applications and services

o Lead design reviews; establish coding, documentation, and verification standards; drive technical best practices across projects.

· System Architecture & Integration

o Collaborate with hardware, FPGA, and DSP engineers to define hardware/software partitioning.

o Translate system requirements into clear, testable software designs and interfaces.

o Participate in design reviews, ensuring software architectures are scalable, testable, and production-ready.

o Support integration of embedded software into complete RF and embedded systems.

· Debugging & Bring-Up

o Lead board bring-up and system-level debugging on new hardware.

o Diagnose and resolve complex issues involving:

§ Memory corruption, stack overflows, race conditions

§ Timing issues, watchdog resets, and hard faults

§ Kernel panics and low-level Linux issues

o Use tools such as JTAG/SWD debuggers, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and trace tools.

o Debug across hardware, firmware, and OS boundaries.

· Customer & Business Alignment

o Work directly with customers to capture requirements, translate into system-level specifications, and communicate design tradeoffs.

o Represent the company at customer design reviews, technical working groups, or industry events as needed.

· Verification, Quality & Production Support

o Develop and execute unit, integration, and system-level test strategies.

o Ensure software meets performance, reliability, and maintainability requirements.

o Support manufacturing test, field issues, and long-term product sustainment.

o Contribute to coding standards, documentation, and software best practices.

o Support requirements traceability, documentation, and formal verification activities consistent with structured product development and quality system standards.

· Technical Leadership & Mentorship

o Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers.

o Lead by example through code quality, design rigor, and problem-solving approach.

o Influence engineering best practices without formal management responsibility.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

· BS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

· 10+ years of professional experience in embedded software development.

· Solid background in embedded Linux, including kernel-level debugging.

· Proven experience with:

o Interrupts, DMA, memory-mapped I/O

o Multithreading, synchronization, and real-time constraints

o Device driver development

· Deep debugging skills using both software and hardware tools.

· Expert-level skills in:

o C/C++ for embedded systems (bare metal and RTOS).

o Git-based version control and CI/CD workflows.

· Basic Understanding of RF communications protocols (e.g., Lora, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE/5G, proprietary modulations).

· Ability to manage tasks using Atlassian JIRA or other software tracking tools.

· Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams or mentoring junior engineers.

· Strong written and verbal communication skills, with ability to explain technical tradeoffs to both engineers and executives.

· Experience with ISO 9001 or other regulated development environments preferred.

· End-to-end ownership: define requirements, document designs, develop and verify firmware; proficient with interrupt-driven, real-time systems and device drivers.

· Evaluate and partition functions across CPU, FPGA, and peripherals, making clear cost, performance, and schedule tradeoffs.

JOB SNAPSHOT

Base Pay: Competitive; commensurate with experience

Employment: Full-Time, OnSite/Hybrid

Job Type: Engineering, Embedded Design

Education: BSCE/BSEE required.

Experience: 7 years experience preferred

Manages Others: No

Industry: RF Engineering Services

Required Travel: Not Specified

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $100,000.00 - $135,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Health insurance

Ability to Commute:

• North Mankato, MN 56003 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• North Mankato, MN 56003: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: In person