Embedded Firmware & Hardware Engineer – LightSense™

Job Title: Embedded Firmware & Hardware Engineer – LightSense™

Department: LightSense™ Division

Location: Paarl, South Africa (On-site / In-office)

Education Level: B.Eng / M.Eng Electronic Engineering or equivalent

Experience Level: 4 -10 years

Employment Type: Permanent

About Azoteq

Azoteq is a leading fabless semiconductor company founded in 1998, specializing in innovative sensing and human-machine interface technologies. With over 39 patents issued and filed for our flagship product ranges, Azoteq develops cutting-edge semiconductor solutions utilized globally across consumer, industrial, and medical markets. We cultivate an engineering-driven environment designed for individuals who enjoy solving complex, multi-disciplinary technical challenges and shepherding concepts into high-volume production of commecrially available goods.

Please refer to Azoteq’s website for further information (https://www.azoteq.com/).

The Role

You will join our LightSense™ team in an exciting role encompassing the complete development and production lifecycle of high-volume electronic modules and embedded systems. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys working across the entire embedded development stack—from low-level firmware development and hardware debugging through to validation, production support, and high-volume product deployment. The position is tailored for a dedicated firmware engineer who possesses solid, practical hardware experience. In this role, you will bridge the gap between firmware architecture and physical electronics, working closely with internal engineering teams.

Typical technologies include ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), sensor interfaces, LED driver systems, real-time embedded firmware, and production test environments.

Key responsibilities

· Firmware Development: Develop, optimize, maintain, and release embedded firmware for microcontroller-based systems using modern software development practices.

· Hardware Integration: Design, build, and evaluate hardware prototypes, bridging firmware execution with analogue and digital electronic circuits.

· Wireless Connectivity: Design, implement, integrate, and debug Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and other wireless communication protocols within product architectures.

· Product Lifecycle Management: Manage firmware from concept through validation, automated testing, qualification, manufacturing support, and final production release.

· Optimization & Debugging: Diagnose, debug, and improve the performance, reliability, and efficiency of existing and legacy products.

· Research & Innovation: Investigate new technologies, product concepts, and methods to implement modern embedded development practices.

· Technical Support & Documentation: Produce comprehensive technical documentation, design reports, and provide technical support to the internal engineering team to support customer designs.

Required Skills and Experience

·        Proven experience developing firmware for embedded microcontrollers (e.g., STM32, Nordic nRF, Microchip PIC, AVR, ESP32).

·        Strong programming proficiency in C, C++, and Python.

·        Experience utilizing Git for version control and collaborating within modern software development workflows .

·        Experience with firmware release management, branching strategies, and collaborative development workflows.

·        Solid understanding of wired communication protocols: UART, SPI, I²C, USB, and CAN.

·        Familiarity with wireless communication protocols, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), RF fundamentals, and Bluetooth debugging techniques.

·        Competency using laboratory equipment including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and debugging tools.

·        Experience debugging embedded systems using JTAG, SWD, or equivalent hardware debugging interfaces

·        Practical experience with analogue and digital circuit design.

Desirable Skills and Experience

·        Experience developing embedded systems using a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) such as FreeRTOS, Zephyr, ThreadX, or equivalent.

·        Experience with automated testing and continuous integration (CI/CD) workflows.

·        Experience developing low-power battery-operated products.

·        Familiarity with EMC/EMI design considerations and compliance testing.

·        Experience supporting manufacturing, production testing, and design-for-manufacture activities.

·        Exposure to mobile applications or gateway systems interfacing with embedded devices.

Personal Attributes

• Autonomy & Teamwork: A proven self-starter who is highly motivated to work independently while remaining comfortable collaborating in multidisciplinary, fast-paced teams.
• Problem-Solving: An analytical, hands-on, and practical approach to troubleshooting complex firmware and hardware interfaces.
• Drive: High level of innovative thinking, resilience, and determination to see ideas develop into high-volume market products.
• Communication: Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively support and collaborate with the engineering team and external stakeholders.

Working Environment

The successful candidate will work in a multidisciplinary engineering team responsible for taking products from concept through to high-volume production. The role combines firmware development, hardware integration, laboratory validation, and collaboration with internal engineering teams to deliver world-class sensing and lighting solutions.

Please forward your CV to [email protected]

Remuneration will be market-related and commensurate with qualifications, experience, and demonstrated technical capability.

Clearly state the application is for the “ Embedded Firmware & Hardware Engineer – LightSense™ ” position and attach a CV and relevant information to the application.