Embedded Software Consulting Engineer, Protection and Control Systems

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced and technically authoritative Embedded Software & Firmware Consulting Engineer to lead strategy, architecture, and design initiatives for real-time embedded systems, enabling the product and platform designs for Transmission & Distribution (T&D). This role focuses on defining and guiding secure, resilient embedded platforms for protection relays, communication gateways, Ethernet switches, and industrial wireless devices deployed in substations, field automation, and remote environments.As a senior technical authority, you will champion the convergence of embedded and enterprise technologies, including real-time virtualization, containerization, and service-oriented architecture, to modernize grid-edge devices and improve lifecycle agility. You will influence cross-functional teams and collaborate globally to shape the embedded software stack across hardware, networking, security, and systems engineering.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical authority for embedded platform modernization, product innovation, and next-generation system architectures.
• Lead the design strategy of real-time embedded platforms for protection and communication systems using multi-core SoCs, RTOS (VxWorks, QNX, FreeRTOS), or embedded Linux.
• Guide strategic choices in virtualized firmware stacks, embedded containers, and real-time microservices for digital substations and edge computing.
• Drive architectural modernization through the adoption of embedded virtualization using lean hypervisors, enabling reliability and modularity through microservice-oriented architecture for critical and secure field-deployable service updates.
• Guide the design of CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps workflows, and automated test frameworks tailored to embedded environments.
• Promote modular design, RTOS abstraction, software reuse, and real-time determinism across services.
• Lead edge software strategies for AI/ML-based diagnostics, adaptive protection, and predictive maintenance, enabling microservices to run securely in real-time containers.
• Stay at the forefront of innovations in lean, reliable, and secure mission-critical/safety-critical embedded systems by participating in technical conferences and engaging with industry consortia and standards bodies (IEC, IEEE, UCAIug).
• Represent the organization in global forums, panels, or working groups and share best practices, lessons learned, and architecture evolution insights.
• Contribute to multi-year product and technology roadmaps for protection and automation portfolios.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies to mentor and guide global teams on next-generation architectures.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Embedded Systems.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in embedded software/firmware design, with at least 5 years in architecture or consulting leadership roles.

Desired Characteristics

• Extensive experience in real-time embedded systems used in power system protection, automation, or communication.
• Expert in C/C++, with experience in embedded Linux, RTOS (VxWorks, QNX), and container/virtualization concepts for embedded systems.
• Proven experience integrating protocols such as GOOSE, MMS, SV, DNP3, Modbus, IEEE C37.118, IEC 60870-5-104, IEEE 1588, and secure communication protocols.
• Familiar with compliance to electrical and cybersecurity standards including IEC 60255, NERC CIP, IEC 62443, IEC 62351.
• Working knowledge of embedded hypervisors, container runtimes, and service isolation in resource-constrained environments.
• Hands-on experience with toolchains, software analyzers, and debugging across embedded and virtualized targets.
• Strategic thinker and effective communicator across engineering, product management and customer leadership.
• Strong understanding of protection schemes, digital substation design, and utility communication architectures.
• Experience in secure embedded software development, formal verification, and regulatory certification.
• Active contributor to open standards or industry bodies (IEEE, IEC, UCAIug) or recognized innovator with patents or technical publications.
• Willingness to travel for technical deep-dives, customer co-innovation sessions, industry events, and global product strategy meetings.