Embedded Linux/Open WRT Engineer (Lead) - REMOTE

Embedded Linux/Open WRT Engineer (Lead)

Reports to: Delivery Lead, (interim: Engineering Program Lead)

Location: India

Employment type: Full-time

About the Role

Owns the OpenWRT-based operating system for the company's connected device end to end — SDK/Buildroot builds, kernel configuration, package selection — and sets technical direction for the rest of the squad. This is the longest-lead-time specialist hire on the team and the squad's first line of technical ownership, working closely with the external hardware/EE function on board bring-up.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the OpenWRT SDK/Buildroot build pipeline and produce reproducible, versioned firmware images for the connected device
• Configure and maintain the Linux kernel (module selection, patches, device tree) for the device's SoC and radio hardware
• Select, package, and maintain the OpenWRT package set (opkg) needed for the device's feature set
• Set technical direction and review code across the squad; mentor the Device Driver, Embedded Systems, and Integration engineers
• Partner with the hardware/EE function or contract manufacturer on board bring-up, hardware validation, and design-for-manufacturing feedback
• Stand up and own a signed OTA update mechanism from day one
• Establish CI/CD for automated firmware image builds (Buildbot or GitLab CI)

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of embedded Linux experience, including at least 3 years specifically on Open WRT or a comparable embedded Linux distribution (Yocto, Build root)
• Deep, hands-on kernel configuration and device driver experience in C
• Experience owning a production firmware build/release pipeline, ideally including OTA updates
• Comfortable working close to hardware — board bring-up, JTAG/serial console debugging, oscilloscope-level troubleshooting
• Strong written communication; this role sets technical direction for a distributed US/India squad

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with radio/RF chipsets (Wi-Fi, LTE, BLE) at the driver level
• Prior experience as a technical lead or team lead
• Familiarity with U-Boot and secure boot chains
• Telecom or IoT device background

Tech Stack

OpenWRT (latest stable release branch), Buildroot/SDK, C/C++, Lua/UCI, U-Boot, shell scripting, Buildbot or GitLab CI