Robotics careers · Career guide

Embedded engineerwhat the job involves, pay and who’s hiring

There are 291 open embedded engineer roles on Robotics Connected today, at 116 employers. Where roles give pay, the middle figure is $205K a year. Below is what the work involves, the skills employers ask for, how people get in, and the roles open now.

By Olivier Ayache · Figures from the jobs board, updated
291
open embedded engineer roles
116
employers hiring
$205K
middle pay a year, from 43 roles
4%
can be done remotely

What does a embedded engineer do?

Embedded engineers write the software that runs on a robot's own electronics: the firmware in motor controllers, sensor boards, battery systems and safety circuits. It is the layer that has to work every time, in real time, on limited hardware.

In robotics they work very closely with electrical engineers, and their code is what connects the high-level software to the motors and sensors.

Also advertised as: Firmware engineer, Embedded software engineer, Embedded systems engineer.

A typical week

  • Writing and testing firmware in C or C++
  • Bringing up new circuit boards with the electrical team
  • Writing drivers and communication over CAN, EtherCAT, SPI or UART
  • Debugging timing problems with oscilloscopes and logic analysers

Skills employers ask for

  • C and C++ for microcontrollers
  • Real-time operating systems, and embedded Linux
  • Communication buses: CAN, EtherCAT, SPI, I2C
  • Reading schematics and datasheets
  • Safety and reliability practice for robots near people

How much do embedded engineers earn?

  • $172K to $243K a year for the middle half, $205K in the middle, from 43 roles paid in USD

These figures come from the 44 of 291 open roles that give pay, taking the middle of each role’s range. Most are in US states where job adverts have to show pay, so they lean towards American salaries; roles in the UK and Europe rarely publish a figure.

Who is hiring embedded engineers?

The employers with the most open embedded engineer roles today:

Where are the jobs?

The cities with the most open embedded engineer roles, each with its own page of robotics jobs:

And by country:

What levels are open?

156 of the 291 roles say their level in the title. They split like this:

Entry-level roles are scarce across robotics, not only in this one. I looked at why, and what I’d suggest if you’re starting out, in this article on the entry-level gap.

How to become a embedded engineer

Most embedded engineers have a degree in electronic, electrical or computer engineering. I'd suggest a project on a microcontroller board that drives a motor or reads a sensor, since it shows the hands-on debugging these roles depend on.

If you’re early on, the robotics internships and entry-level and graduate roles are the places to start.

Open embedded engineer jobs

The newest, one an employer:

Search the jobs board for “embedded”All Embedded, Electrical & Electronics roles

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