Staff Embedded Software Engineer - Camera Firmware at Verkada

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. About the Role 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. What You'll Do • 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. What You Bring • 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 depth in MCU firmware and the boot stack, with a focus on RTOS, bare-metal development, or secure boot implementation. • Excellent communication and documentation skills, with the ability to collaborate across engineering and product teams. US Employee Benefits Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to: • Healthcare programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs - Premiums are 100% covered for the employee under at least one plan and 80% for family premiums under all plans • Nationwide medical, vision and dental coverage • Health Saving Account (HSA) with annual employer contributions and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with tax saving options • Expanded mental health support • Paid parental leave policy & fertility benefits • Time off to relax and recharge through our paid holidays, firmwide extended holidays, flexible PTO and personal sick time • Professional development stipend • Fertility Stipend • Wellness/fitness benefits • Healthy lunches provided daily • Commuter benefits Additional Information • We do sponsor and take over sponsorship of employment visas for this role. If we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa. Annual Pay Range At Verkada, we want to attract and retain the best employees, and compensate them in a way that appropriately and fairly values their individual contribution to the company. With that in mind, we carefully consider a number of factors to determine the appropriate starting pay for an employee, including their primary work location and an assessment of a candidate's skills and experience, as well as market demands and internal parity. A Verkada employee may be eligible for additional forms of compensation, depending on their role, including sales incentives, discretionary bonuses, and/or equity in the company in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs) Below is the annual on-target earnings (OTE) range for full-time employees for this position, comprised of base compensation and commissions (if applicable). Estimated Annual Pay Range$200,000—$300,000 USD Verkada Is An Equal Opportunity Employer As an equal opportunity employer, Verkada is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals. All applicants for positions at Verkada will be treated without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Your application will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.