Firmware Intern at WindBorne Systems in Palo Alto, CA

Summary: WindBorne Systems is supercharging weather models with a unique proprietary data source: a global constellation of next-generation smart weather balloons. They are looking for a Firmware Wizard to own their entire firmware stack, developing and maintaining drivers and low-level libraries while solving fascinating challenges alongside a team of brilliant engineers. Responsibilities: - Develop and maintain drivers & low level libraries for new chips, modules, & sensors - Own our custom open source RTOS hardware abstraction layer, Amslah. It has many custom features made for our unique application (I’m excited to tell you about them!) but requires hardening and architecture refinements as we scale - Push the limits of our custom sensor hardware & calibration infrastructure, ensuring our GSBs are power optimized & survive extreme cold beyond subcomponent specifications. Work closely with people doing R&D on novel hardware as we seek to improve the accuracy of our meteorological measurements - Design fault-tolerant systems that can recover gracefully from unexpected conditions - Debug highly non-trivial issues Required Qualifications: - Experience programming, shipping, and maintaining hardware in a real-world setting - Must be excited by rapid iteration more than trying to perfectly plan ahead of time - Fluent in C/C++ and Python - Should have experience writing low-level drivers for a number of various chips - Should be comfortable reading PCB schematics - Be able to form hypothesis and run experiments about the behaviour of the system - Must be an effective communicator, able to cut through misunderstandings to the core of an issue and reason about tradeoffs in complex multidisciplinary spaces - Excellent debugging skills in complex settings Preferred Qualifications: - Experience with FPGAs and HDL - Knowledge of RF systems and wireless protocols - Degree in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering or related field - Stellar understanding of undergrad level physics Required Skills: C, C++, Python, Low-level driver development, PCB schematic reading, Hardware programming, maintenance, Debugging, Experiment design, hypothesis testing