Principal Embedded Software Engineer

Principal Embedded Engineer | Long Island, NY (On-site) Permanent

X4 Technology is hiring a Principal Embedded Engineer for an on-site role based in Brentwood, NY (Suffolk County / Long Island).

Our client is a well-established, growing engineering organization building next-generation hardware products, backed by a stable, well-resourced engineering function and a strong pipeline of ongoing product development. They offer a genuinely flexible working pattern (9/80 schedule - every other Friday off) and a collaborative, hands-on engineering culture where you'll have real technical ownership and influence over architecture decisions.

Open to C2C, W2, or permanent applicants - engagement type is flexible depending on what works best for you.

This is a Principal-level position - we're looking for a senior technical leader, not just a strong individual contributor.

Interviewing now, with the ability to start from September.

This is a hands-on principal engineering role spanning embedded software, bare-metal firmware, wireless systems, and hardware-adjacent electrical work. You'll be the technical authority in the room, setting direction on system architecture while still writing code and getting into the detail with the hardware.

What you'll be doing:

• Owning architecture and technical direction for embedded and bare-metal firmware across current and next-generation product lines
• Writing and reviewing low-level C/C++ firmware directly on microcontrollers, with no OS or RTOS abstraction where required
• Leading development and integration of wireless communication protocols (e.g. BLE, Wi-Fi, cellular, LoRa, or similar) into embedded products
• Working closely with electrical/hardware engineering on schematic review, board bring-up, pin mapping, and system-level debugging
• Mentoring and technically guiding other engineers on the team, and acting as a escalation point for the hardest technical problems
• Driving decisions on processor selection, power budgets, and system architecture trade-offs

What we're looking for:

• Deep, hands-on embedded and bare-metal firmware experience - genuine low-level development, not just configuration or integration work
• Real experience with wireless technologies (any of BLE, Wi-Fi, cellular, LoRa, GPS, or similar) at the firmware/protocol level
• Strong electrical engineering knowledge - comfortable reading schematics, working through hardware bring-up, and collaborating directly with EE teams
• PCB-level knowledge - able to read and work from PCB layouts, understand board-level design constraints, and troubleshoot issues down to the component/trace level
• Strong C/C++ fundamentals and a track record of taking embedded products from architecture through to production
• Prior experience operating at a Principal / senior technical leadership level, mentoring engineers and owning architecture decisions
• Embedded Linux exposure is a plus but not required - this role is centered on bare-metal and wireless systems work

Location: This is an on-site role in Brentwood, NY, with a 9/80 working pattern. Candidates must be local to, or willing to relocate to, the Long Island / Suffolk County area - this is not a remote position. But the client are paying a high hourly contract rate and can offer the opportunity to transition to permanent.

Interested? Apply directly or send a message with your resume.