Embedded Software Engineer - Camera Firmware

Who We Are

Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, AI-powered platform. A leader in cloud physical security, Verkada helps organizations strengthen safety and efficiency through one connected software platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management.

Over 30,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 100 companies in the Fortune 500, trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. Founded in 2016, Verkada has expanded rapidly with 15 offices and 2,200+ full-time employees.

As a Staff Embedded Software Engineer, you will spearhead the development of brand-new camera categories while driving the continued growth and reliability of our ever-expanding global fleet. This role is a high-impact technical leadership position requiring seamless collaboration across the entire stack—including Hardware, Product, Backend, and Frontend teams—to bring first-generation systems to life. Reporting directly to the Camera Firmware Manager, you will work full-time at our HQ in San Mateo to oversee the technical lifecycle of our newest hardware and ensure the operational excellence of a multi-million device, perpetually online IoT footprint.

• Unlocking New Markets: Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of entirely new camera categories for untapped market segments. Collaborate directly with Hardware and Product teams during the initial co-design phase to influence HW selection and feature scoping.
• Architectural Leadership: Own the firmware roadmap and drive the large-scale architectural changes required to support novel features across the entire stack—from low-level MCUs to Linux-based edge services.
• System-Wide Technical Depth: Engineer high-performance features across a diverse software landscape, spanning bare-metal MCU firmware, secure bootloaders, Linux kernel optimizations, and concurrent userspace services.
• Complex Problem Solving: Tackle the most "gnarly" system-level challenges, from non-deterministic race conditions and memory corruption to elusive hardware-software timing issues that only emerge at the scale of a million-device fleet.
• Navigate Multi-Dimensional Trade-offs: Systematically balance conflicting priorities—including hardware security hardening, peak performance, power efficiency, and deep fleet observability.
• Cross-Functional Optimization: Partner with CV, Streaming, and Storage teams to architect vertically integrated features that push the boundaries of edge computing and real-time computer vision.
• Operational Excellence at Scale: Champion a reliability-first culture for a global fleet of 1.5 million perpetually online devices, designing the deployment and monitoring strategies that ensure 24/7 uptime.

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of professional experience in systems software development for performance and resource-constrained environments.
• 5+ years of experience building software for Linux-based platforms
  .
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives from concept to production. You have a history of aligning diverse engineering verticals to deliver complex systems on aggressive timelines.
• Proven experience leading initial board bring-up and hardware-software co-design for first-generation embedded devices.
• Hands-on experience with low-level protocols (
  SPI
  , I2C
  , UART
  , USB
  ) and the ability to debug complex hardware-software interactions.
• Experience designing, implementing and debugging concurrent/multithreaded firmware services
• Strong understanding of modern operating systems
  , computer architecture
  , and trade-offs between compute, memory, and storage
  .
• Proficient in at least one systems programming language: C++ or Golang
  .
• Familiarity with Bash scripting and Python for tooling and automation.
• Bonus
  
  Qualification:
  
  Direct experience with Linux Kernel development, including writing or debugging drivers, managing device trees, or optimizing kernel-space performance.
• Bonus
  
  Qualification:
  
  Technical…