Senior Embedded Platform Engineer

Build the platform that powers the future of smart buildings.

We're looking for an exceptional engineer who loves solving hard problems, taking ownership, and building systems that work in the real world, not just in the lab.

At WAC, you'll own the embedded appliance platform behind our next-generation commercial smart lighting products. You'll architect and build the Linux-based edge infrastructure that connects buildings, devices, cloud services, and customers around the globe.

This isn't a maintenance role. It's a chance to create the foundation.

You'll design and ship secure embedded Linux platforms, build zero-touch provisioning, develop resilient OTA update systems, and help shape the architecture that bridges on-premises deployments with cloud services at scale. From customer sites with full internet connectivity to air-gapped enterprise environments, you'll solve challenges that require deep technical expertise and practical engineering judgment.

What You'll Do

Own the embedded appliance platform from concept to deployment.
Build secure, reliable Linux-based edge systems.
Design zero-touch provisioning and fleet management infrastructure.
Create robust OTA update pipelines that customers can trust.
Partner with firmware, cloud, mobile, and product teams to deliver seamless customer experiences.
Drive technical decisions that impact products deployed worldwide.
Solve difficult problems across hardware, software, networking, security, and cloud infrastructure.

What Makes You Successful

You are deeply technical but highly pragmatic.
You enjoy building, not just discussing architecture.
You take ownership and follow problems through to resolution.
You are curious, humble, and constantly learning.
You thrive in fast-moving environments where initiative matters.
You care about reliability, security, and customer experience.

You'll Likely Have

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience. 7+ years of software engineering experience, including 4+ years building and operating edge/appliance systems or production Linux infrastructure.
Expert-level Linux systems administration - Debian/Ubuntu, systems, apt/dpkg packaging, firewall configuration (UFW/iptables), and automated OS provisioning (preseed, cloud-init).
Languages: Strong Proficiency in C, C++, and scripting languages (Python, Bash).
Linux Internals: Deep understanding of the kernel, device tree, file systems and user-space libraries.
Build Systems: Expertise in Yocto/OpenEmbedded, Buildroot and rpi-image-gen.
Debugging: Experience with JTAG, GDB, and oscilloscopes for hardware/software debugging.
Proven experience with Docker and Docker Compose - service dependency management, container image optimization, health checks, and fleet-wide update strategies.
Hands-on experience with networking fundamentals - WireGuard, mDNS, NTP, DHCP, MQTT (EMQX or Mosquitto), and NAT traversal.
Working knowledge of AWS services relevant to IoT and edge deployments - Cognito, Fargate (ECS), Aurora/RDS, S3, Route 53, ECR, and IoT Core (or equivalent device provisioning infrastructure).
Experience with VM image creation (Packer, cloud-init) and multi-format appliance distribution (OVA, QCOW2, VHDX).
Familiarity with PKI and device certificate infrastructure - TLS client certificates, certificate authorities (step-ca or AWS Private CA), and key rotation strategies.
Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform or CloudFormation), CI/CD pipeline design, and automated deployment strategies.
Hands-on experience with observability tooling (CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, or equivalent).
Strong understanding of security best practices - identity and access management, encryption at rest and in transit, and vulnerability mitigation for edge-deployed systems.
Mandarin language proficiency is a plus.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Why WAC?

You'll join a team that values builders, problem-solvers, and people who want to make a visible impact. You'll have the freedom to own meaningful technology, work across disciplines, and help define the future of intelligent building systems.

If you're excited by ownership, complexity, and the opportunity to build something that matters, we'd love to talk.

We recognize people as our most valuable asset. Our competitive salary and benefits package include paid time off; medical & dental coverage (including family coverage), vision, life, 401(k); tuition assistance; and continuous training and development. For immediate consideration, please submit your resume as directed. Due to the high volume of applications, only candidates who meet the qualifications will be contacted.

WAC is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected characteristic. In addition to federal law requirements, WAC complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in all its locations. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Please note, all responsibilities outlined in the above job description are subject to change as needed. All efforts will be made to ensure proper notice is given for changes in responsibilities.

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