IllustrationA firmware engineer writes the code that runs on a device's microcontroller: board bring-up, drivers, the RTOS and radio stack, power management, the bootloader and over-the-air updates, security, and factory test firmware. Startups usually hire one when firmware is core and ongoing, and contract or partner when the work is a defined build.
Every connected device needs a firmware engineer, and early hardware teams often do not have one. The question is whether to hire, bring in a contractor, or work with a development partner. This guide explains what an embedded firmware engineer does across a product, the skills to look for, what public pay data exists, and how to choose between the three options. It ends with an ownership checklist that applies whichever way you go. For how firmware teams organize embedded programming, see Embedded Programming Workflow for Connected Device Firmware.
This is an engineering summary and not hiring, legal or tax advice. All sources were read on November 12, 2026.
What does a firmware engineer do across a device project?
Firmware is the code built into the device itself. It sits between the hardware and the app or cloud. Firmware vs software vs hardware explains the split. The firmware engineer's work changes as the product moves through its build stages.
| Area | What the work is | When it peaks |
|---|---|---|
| Board bring-up | First power-on of a new board: clocks, power rails, debug port, flash. Finds hardware faults early. | EVT boards |
| Drivers and board support | Code for sensors, displays, audio, buttons, charger and fuel gauge, often on top of the chip vendor SDK. | EVT to DVT |
| RTOS and architecture | Tasks, priorities, memory budget, how data moves through the system. | Before EVT, revised through DVT |
| Radio stacks | Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, LTE-M or Thread: pairing, connection handling, coexistence, throughput. | EVT to DVT |
| Power management | Sleep modes, wake sources and measured current per state, which set battery life. | EVT to PVT |
| Bootloader and OTA updates | Safe update path, rollback, image signing. | Before the first field units |
| Security | Secure boot, key storage, debug lock, encrypted links. | Planned early, locked by PVT |
| Manufacturing test firmware | Code the factory runs to test each unit and program serial numbers and keys. | DVT to PVT |
| Field support | Crash logs, fixes, security patches and releases for the product life. | After launch |
EVT, DVT and PVT are the engineering, design and production validation builds. EVT, DVT, PVT explains each one.
Two items on that list get underestimated. Factory test firmware is often left until a factory asks for it, which can delay the first production run. Field support never ends: chip SDKs, radio stacks and the RTOS all publish security fixes, and someone has to bring them into your product and ship updates. Firmware OTA failures shows what happens when the update path is weak. For letting an AI agent drive bench instruments, see AI Hardware Debugging: Agents and Lab Instruments.
Embedded engineer vs firmware engineer: is there a difference?
The titles overlap, and job ads use them loosely. In practice:
- Firmware engineer usually means someone writing C or C++ on microcontrollers, often with an RTOS, close to the hardware.
- Embedded engineer is broader. It can mean the same work, or embedded Linux on an application processor, or a mix of circuit design and code.
- Embedded firmware engineer is the common way to say both at once in a job posting.
Judge candidates by the products they shipped. Someone who has taken a battery-powered Bluetooth LE product from first board to factory has met most of the problems your device will have. Someone who has only worked on embedded Linux gateways will face a different set of constraints on a wearable.
What skills should you look for in an embedded firmware engineer?
- C and the toolchain. Reading a map file, finding a stack overflow, using a debugger on real hardware.
- An RTOS. Tasks, priorities, queues and their failure modes. What is an RTOS covers the basics.
- Hardware reading. Schematics, datasheets, an oscilloscope and a logic analyzer. Bring-up is half hardware debugging.
- One radio in depth. Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi or cellular, including how to test range and coexistence.
- Power measurement. Measuring current per state and finding the task that keeps the chip awake.
- Updates and security. A bootloader with rollback, signed images, key handling. See secure boot and signed firmware.
- Production habits. Version control, reproducible builds, release notes, and test firmware a factory can run.
Few people are strong in all seven. For a first product, the gaps matter more than the strengths, because each gap becomes a delay later. Map the candidate against your device's hardest area, which is usually the radio or the power budget.
What does public data say about firmware engineer pay?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate firmware engineer occupation. Its two closest are:
- Computer hardware engineers (SOC 17-2061): median annual wage of $161,740 in May 2025, about 76,100 jobs in 2025, and employment projected to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, as of November 2026).
- Software developers: median annual wage of $135,980 in May 2025, with a projected 10 percent change from 2025 to 2035 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, as of November 2026).
Use these as a rough budgeting range. A firmware role may sit in either category, and medians do not reflect location, seniority, equity or benefits.
Should a startup hire, contract, or use a development partner?
The choice depends on how central firmware is to your product and what stage you are at.
| Option | Fits when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time hire | Firmware is core to the product and will change for years. You want the knowledge inside the company. | Hiring takes time. One person rarely covers radio, power, security and factory test equally well. |
| Contractor | A defined piece of work: a driver, a port, a review, a bootloader. | Knowledge leaves when the contract ends unless it is written down. Continuity depends on one person. |
| Development partner | You need hardware, firmware and test built together for a first product or a pilot run. | You depend on the partner for speed and quality. Ownership terms decide whether you can take the work elsewhere. |
Many startups mix them. A development partner builds the first product with hardware and firmware together. A full-time firmware engineer joins before launch, reviews the code and takes over maintenance. That works only if the handover is real, so ownership needs to be settled from the first contract.
If you go the partner route, firmware development services covers what to put in the scope and contract, and the questions to ask a vendor.
What should you own no matter who writes the firmware?
Whoever writes the code, your company should be able to build, sign and ship a release without them. Check these before the first payment and again at every release.
- Admin access to the firmware repository, in an account your company controls, with full history.
- A build that anyone on your team can reproduce from a clean machine, with pinned tool and SDK versions.
- An SBOM for each release, listing every third-party component, version and license.
- The production signing keys, generated and stored under your control, with a written process for who can sign.
- Debug and programming tools, scripts and pinouts needed to flash and recover a unit.
- Manufacturing test firmware and the test limits, so a factory can test units without the original author.
- Architecture notes and a release history that a new engineer can follow.
Two of these have published references. The NTIA minimum elements for an SBOM (July 12, 2021) list seven data fields: supplier name, component name, version, other unique identifiers, dependency relationship, author of SBOM data and timestamp. The report names SPDX, CycloneDX and SWID tags as formats, and says a new SBOM must be created when a component gets a new build or release (NTIA report, as of November 2026).
On keys, the MCUboot imgtool documentation says the private key file used to sign images should be protected and not widely distributed, and that a widely distributed sample key should never be used for production (MCUboot imgtool, as of November 2026). Ask who generated your production key and where it lives.
For process, NIST's Secure Software Development Framework (SP 800-218, February 2022) says buyers can use it as a common vocabulary with suppliers in acquisition (NIST SSDF, as of November 2026). It is a useful checklist when asking how a contractor or partner handles code review, dependencies and vulnerabilities. The SBOM and source-file handover checklist and firmware ownership terms go into detail.
Interview questions for a firmware engineer or vendor
- Walk me through a board you brought up. What failed first, and how did you find it?
- How did you measure sleep current, and what was the biggest power fix you made?
- How does your update path recover if power drops halfway through an update?
- Where did the signing keys live on your last product, and who could sign a release?
- Which RTOS and chip SDKs have you shipped on, and how did you track their security fixes?
- What did the factory test firmware check, and how long did each unit take?
Questions about firmware engineers
What does a firmware engineer do?
A firmware engineer writes and maintains the code that runs on a device's microcontroller or processor. The work covers board bring-up, drivers, the real-time operating system, radio stacks, power management, the bootloader and updates, security features and the firmware the factory uses to test each unit.
Is an embedded engineer the same as a firmware engineer?
The titles overlap. Embedded engineer is the broader term and can include hardware design or embedded Linux work. Firmware engineer usually means the person writing code on microcontrollers. Judge by the job description and the candidate's past products.
How much does a firmware engineer earn in the US?
Should a hardware startup hire a firmware engineer first?
If firmware is the core of the product and will change often, hiring early keeps that knowledge in the company. If the first goal is a working prototype or pilot, a contractor or a development partner can get there sooner, with a later hire taking over a well-documented codebase.
How can Duobay help with firmware?
Duobay develops custom devices with a Shenzhen engineering team that covers electronics, firmware, enclosure, app and test. Firmware source and the SBOM are delivered to you, and source files are assigned to you at every paid gate. Initial calls are free, and we do not publish prices. Tell us about your device.
If you need firmware built together with the hardware, with the source and keys in your hands, tell us about your device.
Sources. All pages accessed November 12, 2026. Pay data and projections are updated yearly, so check the current BLS pages.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Computer Hardware Engineers (link)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers (link)
- NTIA, The Minimum Elements for a Software Bill of Materials (July 12, 2021) (page, report)
- MCUboot, imgtool documentation (link)
- NIST, SP 800-218, Secure Software Development Framework Version 1.1 (February 2022) (link)
Planning a device like this? Tell us what it needs to do. A Duobay engineer replies within 1 business day. Send a project brief →