$115k - $150k
000 per year Requirements: Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field, or equivalent... ...experience At least 3 years of professional C/C++ experience; embedded experience…
Engineering & IT · San Diego, CA
Embedded Engineer jobs in San Diego, CA
Embedded engineers write the software that runs inside devices — from consumer gadgets to cars and medical equipment — working close to the hardware in C and C++ under tight resource limits.
201
Open roles today
$40–$99/hr
Typical pay range
$137k
Median, full-time
9
Fresh in this list
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01
Open embedded engineer roles
12 shown of 201 · sorted by freshness
San Diego, CAJob TypeFull-timeDescriptionClient Solution Architects (CSA) is currently seeking a Systems Engineer III to support a program onsite in San Diego, CA,This position will support critical naval software delive…
$158k - $210k
growing Aerospace and Defense innovators. Here, visionary minds engineer the future of space technology through pioneering, compact, and... ...the infinite, together. A DAY IN THE LIFE: As a Senior Embedded Software Engi…
$150k - $244k
Staff / Sr Staff Engineer - System SoftwareCategorySoftwareLocationSan Diego, CA ExperienceMore than 8 Years Work Expe.Job Description• Bring up new platform boards and verify the major functions independently• Regular s…
$109.2k - $150.15k
Introduction to the JobASML’s Manufacturing Engineering team supports the production of highly complex optical, mechanical, electrical, and system-level assemblies used in advanced lithography systems.As a Senior Manufac…
$108.01k - $183.61k
public and private-sector clients. ICF has the expertise, agility, and commitment to design, build, and operate high-performance IT engines to support all aspects of our client’s business.As a ServiceNow Architect, you w…
$160k - $250k
Instagram, and YouTube. Job Description:Shield AI is seeking a Senior Engineer to help design, develop, and integrate a safety critical Run-... ...-aware design. Experience building software for real-time, embedded, robo…
$160k - $250k
State Estimation and Vision team to build the tools that help engineers develop, understand, and validate autonomous navigation systems... ...data processing.Experience profiling numerical software on embedded or resourc…
$87.1k - $157.45k
national security against ever-adapting threats. Our Electronic Warfare division currently has an exciting opportunity for an Embedded Software Engineer to perform design, development, and hardware/software integration i…
$125k - $150k
growing Aerospace and Defense innovators. Here, visionary minds engineer the future of space technology through pioneering, compact, and... ...innovate the infinite, together. A DAY IN THE LIFE: The Embedded Software Eng…
We are seeking a Senior CJA Implementation Engineer to lead the design, implementation, configuration, and reporting of Adobe Customer Journey Analytics (CJA) alongside a website implementation. The role will support the…
$170k - $190k
growing Aerospace and Defense innovators. Here, visionary minds engineer the future of space technology through pioneering, compact, and... ...the infinite, together. A DAY IN THE LIFE: As a Senior Embedded Software Engi…
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What embedded engineers earn in San Diego
Hourly first — that's how the offer arrives
| Experience | Hourly | Annual, full-time |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $40–$56 | $83k–$116k |
| Mid level | $56–$76 | $116k–$159k |
| Senior | $74–$99 | $153k–$206k |
Adjusted for the San Diego market from national ranges.
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What employers ask for
The skills these listings keep naming
C and C++Microcontrollers (ARM Cortex-M)RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr)Hardware protocols (SPI, I2C, UART)Reading schematics and datasheetsDebugging with scopes and JTAGMemory and power constraintsRust or Python (a plus)Version control and CI for firmware
04
Interview questions worth rehearsing
With the thing the interviewer is actually listening for
What does the volatile keyword do, and when do you need it?
Explain it prevents the compiler optimizing away reads/writes, with the classic cases: hardware registers and variables shared with ISRs. Precision matters here.
How do you debug a device that crashes intermittently in the field?
Talk about logging within constraints, watchdog data, reproducing environmental conditions, and instrumented builds. Field debugging method is a core competency.
Walk me through what happens from power-on to your main loop running.
Cover reset vector, startup code, memory initialization, and clock configuration. Comfort with the boot path signals genuine low-level experience.
How do you write an interrupt service routine safely?
Keep it short, defer work to the main loop or a task, protect shared data, and avoid blocking calls. Mention the race conditions you are preventing.
How do you handle a memory-constrained target — say 64KB of RAM?
Discuss static allocation, avoiding heap fragmentation, measuring stack usage, and linker-map analysis. Concrete numbers from a past project help.
How do you test firmware?
Unit tests off-target with mocked hardware, hardware-in-the-loop rigs, and on-target integration tests. Acknowledging what is hard to test is part of a good answer.
Tell me about a hardware/software interaction bug you solved.
The best stories involve a scope or logic analyzer and a datasheet detail everyone missed. Show the collaboration with hardware engineers.
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Resume tips that move the needle
For embedded engineers specifically — generic advice costs you here
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Name the microcontroller families, RTOSes, and protocols per project — embedded hiring screens on exact platform matches.
02
Describe the products you shipped and their constraints (battery life achieved, memory footprint, certification requirements).
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Include debugging tooling experience — JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers — as it separates firmware engineers from application developers.
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Mention safety or regulatory work (MISRA, ISO 26262, FDA) if you have it; those doors are hard to open otherwise.
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Personal hardware projects with write-ups carry real weight in this field — link one if it is presentable.
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Where this role goes
Typical progression
01
Junior Embedded Engineer
02
Embedded Engineer
03
Senior Embedded Engineer
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Principal Firmware Engineer
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