About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is for an Embedded Software Engineer focused on developing firmware for consumer products at Hark. You'll be hands-on with hardware, working on everything from driver integration to optimizing power consumption and collaborating with AI teams. It's a technical, individual contributor role with immediate impact on product development.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have at least 3 years of experience in embedded systems or firmware development, strong skills in C/C++, and familiarity with ARM processors. A collaborative mindset and comfort with hardware interactions will help you thrive here.

Worth noting

The salary range is quite broad, suggesting potential for negotiation based on experience. The role requires a mix of software and hardware skills, which may not be typical for all embedded positions.

About Hark

Hark is an artificial intelligence company building advanced, personalized intelligence. One that is proactive, multimodal, and capable of interacting with the world through speech, text, vision, and persistent memory.

We're pairing that intelligence with next-generation hardware to create a universal interface between humans and machines. While today's AI largely operates through chat boxes and decade-old devices, Hark is focused on what comes next: agentic systems that interact naturally with people and the real world.

To get there, we're developing multimodal models and next-generation AI hardware together - designed from the ground up as a single, unified interface for a new era of intelligent systems.

About the Role

You'll own critical pieces of the firmware stack that powers Hark's consumer products — from board bring-up and peripheral drivers to the runtime environment that hosts on-device intelligence. This isn't firmware in a vacuum. You'll work directly with the hardware team on new silicon and sensor integrations, with the agent team on model execution and memory constraints, and with products on experiences that ship to real users. The problems are real, the constraints are tight, and the work matters immediately.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain embedded firmware in C/C++ targeting ARM-based SoCs and microcontrollers
Own BSP development, peripheral driver integration (SPI, I2C, UART, I2S), and RTOS task scheduling
Optimize power consumption and thermal performance for always-on, battery-powered operation
Build and maintain OTA update infrastructure for reliable field updates
Collaborate with the on-device AI team to support model inference within memory and latency budgets
Develop factory test and calibration firmware for manufacturing
Debug complex hardware-software interactions using logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and JTAG

Requirements

3+ years of professional firmware or embedded systems development
Strong proficiency in C and/or C++ in resource-constrained environments
Experience with ARM Cortex-M or Cortex-A processors and associated toolchains
Hands-on experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar)
Familiarity with wireless protocols (BLE, Wi-Fi, or Thread)
Comfort reading schematics and working alongside hardware engineers during board bring-up
Experience with embedded debugging tools and workflows

Bonus Qualifications

Experience with power optimization for battery-powered consumer devices
Familiarity with secure boot, firmware signing, or hardware root of trust
Exposure to ML inference runtimes on embedded platforms
Experience shipping consumer electronics through EVT/DVT/PVT milestones

Compensation

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.

Skills & Tags

rust ai data product design

Aplyr's read

Hark leverages AI-driven data analytics to deliver business insights, attracting a diverse team of engineers, designers, and technical experts.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

What's promising

•Hark's focus on AI and machine learning positions it at the forefront of data-driven business solutions.
•The company offers diverse roles, from engineering to creative social leads, indicating a broad scope of operations.
•Hark's recent hires in specialized technical fields suggest a commitment to cutting-edge technology and innovation.

What to watch

•The competitive landscape in AI analytics could challenge Hark's market share and growth.
•Limited public information about Hark's financial health and long-term sustainability.
•Potentially high-pressure environment due to the fast-paced nature of AI and tech development.

Why hark

•Hark's integration of AI with multimodal capabilities sets it apart in data analytics.
•The company's emphasis on both technical and creative roles highlights a balanced approach to innovation.
•Hark's recruitment of niche technical experts suggests a focus on specialized, advanced technology solutions.

Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

About hark

hark

hark.com

View company

Hark is a data analytics platform that specializes in providing insights for businesses through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.