Firmware Engineer - Power Conversion

Job Description:

Position Overview

We are seeking a Firmware Engineer to develop and maintain firmware for microcontrollers and DSPs in power converters for solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The engineer will define firmware architecture and solve complex real-time challenges while meeting the reliability, performance, and certification requirements of the product.

You will work closely with Hardware, Controls, Systems, Test, and Certification engineers to turn system requirements into production-ready firmware and solve problems at the hardware-software interface.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain bare-metal and RTOS-based firmware in C/C++ for microcontrollers and DSPs, ensuring real-time performance and task synchronization.
• Develop low-level drivers for peripherals, including GPIO, PWM, ADC/DAC, timers, watchdogs, SPI, I2C, UART, and CAN.
• Implement firmware security features, including secure boot, authentication, secure updates, anti-rollback, encryption, key management, access control, and debug protection.
• Integrate Ethernet, TCP/IP stacks (lwIP), and communication protocols such as CAN and Modbus for BMS, EMS, and other equipment.
• Perform board bring-up, hardware-firmware integration, debugging, root-cause analysis, and performance optimization, including timing, memory, and fault recovery.
• Implement embedded data acquisition, validation, processing, storage, and timestamped event and fault logging for diagnostics.
• Conduct design and code reviews, unit and integration testing, fault-response verification, and support certification through documentation and traceability.
• Manage firmware versions, configurations, and controlled releases using Git, while collaborating with local and global teams throughout development and validation.
  
  Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, Computer Engineering, or related fields, with 4+ years of embedded firmware development experience.
• Advanced proficiency in embedded C/C++, microcontrollers/DSPs, bare-metal and RTOS development, including multicore systems, interrupts, DMA, memory management, and real-time constraints.
• Hands-on experience with low-level drivers, communication interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet), TCP/IP stacks, embedded protocols, bootloaders, and firmware updates.
• Experience with hardware-firmware integration, power electronics interfaces, debugging tools, Git, code reviews, and testing; strong problem-solving, English communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  
  Preferred Qualifications | Nice-to-Haves
• Knowledge of embedded cybersecurity, including secure boot, firmware authentication, secure updates, TLS, and industrial standards such as IEC 62443, UL 1998, and MISRA C/C++.
• Experience with HIL/SIL testing, functional safety practices, fault diagnostics, event logging, and embedded data handling.
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink, control systems, photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems, including BMS/EMS interfaces and grid requirements.
• Experience with Python for test automation and AI-assisted development tools for code analysis, test generation, and firmware debugging.

At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.

We are Nextpower