Senior IoT System Architect… at Whirlpool · Pune

The team you will be a part of:

This role in summary:

We are looking for a Senior IoT System Architect to define, design and govern the technical blueprint for our next-generation smart connected appliances. In this role, you will be the primary technical authority owning the end-to-end IOT architecture—from low-level appliance microcontrollers and local wireless mesh networks to cloud telemetry pipelines and mobile API interfaces. You will translate product requirements into secure, scalable, and low-latency physical-to-digital systems, ensuring our appliance fleet is built for massive global scale.

Your responsibilities will include:

End-to-End Product Architecture & Topology

• System Design: Define and document the comprehensive edge-to-cloud system architecture, defining state machines, data flow topologies, and Interface Control Documents (ICDs) across hardware, firmware, cloud, and applications.

• Hardware & Component Evaluation: Lead the technical evaluation and selection of microcontrollers (MCUs), System-on-Chips (SoCs), and RF modules based on strict memory, power-budget, thermal, and Bill of Materials (BOM) cost constraints.

• Edge Intelligence: Architect localized data processing and edge computing strategies on the appliance to handle real-time sensor analytics, predictive maintenance, and fault-detection algorithms.

Embedded Control & Smart Home Ecosystems

• OS & Bus Governance: Oversee the integration of Real-Time Operating Systems (FreeRTOS, Zephyr) with low-level appliance application loops running on ARM Cortex-M/A or ESP32 chipsets via internal buses (I2C, SPI, UART).

• Ecosystem Interoperability: Architect native support for industry-standard smart home ecosystems (Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa) with a heavy focus on the deployment of the Matter protocol over Thread and Wi-Fi networks.

• Northbound Protocols: Define and enforce message styling and data schemas utilizing MQTT (with Device Shadows), CoAP, WebSockets, and REST APIs for appliance control and telemetry reporting.

Scalable Cloud Integration & Data Architecture

• Cloud Fleet Management: Architect device-to-cloud ingestion pathways targeting AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, or Google Cloud, ensuring maximum availability and connection persistence for millions of active units.

• Containerized Microservices: Guide backend teams on building high-performance, containerized microservices architectures using Docker and Kubernetes running on Node.js, Python, or C#.

• Telemetry Data Infrastructure: Structure scalable data streaming and ingestion pipelines capable of feeding Time-Series Databases, SQL, and NoSQL (Redis) for long-term machine performance analysis.

Advanced Security, Provisioning & Lifecycle

• Hardware-Rooted Security: Implement an absolute zero-trust device security architecture utilizing Secure Boot, hardware-based cryptographic elements (HSMs, STSAFE), and mutual authentication (mTLS).

• Fail-Safe OTA: Architect robust, dual-bank Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware update mechanisms with built-in rollback capabilities to eliminate the risk of bricking appliances in the field.

• Lifecycle Management: Define production-line device provisioning workflows and frictionless end-user Wi-Fi/BLE onboarding procedures.

Minimum requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master's Degree (MS/MTech highly preferred) in Electrical Engineering (EE), Electronics & Communication Engineering (ECE), Computer Engineering, or Computer Science or Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies.

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in product development, with at least 7+ years specifically focused on IoT system architecture or integration for physical hardware/appliances.

Technical Skills:

• Firmware/Hardware: Master-level competency in Bare-metal C/C++, RTOS environments, and debugging using digital electronics principles (interpreting schematics, scopes, logic analyzers).

• Cloud & DevOps: Deep expertise in containerized environments (Docker/K8s), serverless components, and microservices patterns.

• Methodologies: Experience with Operational Excellence (OPEX) frameworks, continuous integration pipelines (CI/CD), and Git-based workflow models.

Preferred skills and experiences:

Technical Leadership & Compliance

• Multidisciplinary Liaison: Act as the central architectural bridge aligning Hardware Engineering, Embedded Firmware, Cloud/DevOps, QA, and Product Management teams.

• Technical Mentorship: Drive architectural reviews, mentor senior engineering staff, and advocate for Agile/Scrum development best practices and robust version control.

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure the systemic architecture natively supports global regulatory certifications, safety standards, and energy efficiency metrics IEC 60335, BEE, GDPR.

Core Traits:

• Exceptional problem-solving skills and a systemic approach to troubleshooting complex, distributed bugs.

• Strong communication skills to articulate complex architectural decisions to non-technical stakeholders.

• Project Management Certification;

• OPEX Knowledge and Experience;

• Understanding of electrical and electronic engineering principles, including circuit design, power systems, digital electronics, hardware, software and sensor technologies;

• Problem-solving skills;

• Understanding of industry standards, safety regulations, and energy efficiency requirements applicable to home appliances. Knowledge of certification processes (e.g., UL, IEC) is beneficial;

• Collaboration skill to work within a multidisciplinary team, including engineers, designers, and technicians;

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and tight deadlines;

• Effective time management skills to ensure timely completion of tasks and projects.

What we offer:

N/A