Principal Software Engineer, Evolv Technology
$114-184k
+ Equity and bonus
Office located in Waltham, MA
Advanced weapons detection solutions
Open for applications
Advanced weapons detection solutions
201-500 employees
Open for applications
$114-184k
+ Equity and bonus
Office located in Waltham, MA
201-500 employees
Company mission
To transform security to create a safer world to live, work, learn, and play.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of professional embedded/firmware software development experience
- Deep hands-on experience building embedded Linux systems with Yocto (bitbake, layers, recipes, image customization) — ideally including a from-scratch board bring-up
- Strong Linux kernel driver development and debugging experience (character/platform drivers, interrupt handling, DMA)
- Working knowledge of Device Tree syntax, bindings, and Yocto-based DT configuration/overlay workflows
- Proficiency in C and C++17 for embedded/Linux development
- Solid digital hardware fundamentals — comfortable reading schematics, using a scope/logic analyzer, and reasoning about I2C/SPI bus timing and electrical behavior
- Direct experience with I2C and SPI Linux driver development on an SoC
- Experience with secure boot, image signing, or device provisioning on embedded Linux platforms
- Comfortable working cross-functionally with EE teams to turn hardware requirements into software
What the job involves
- Are you looking for a role that has meaning and purpose on a team that is crafting the future of security?
- Evolv’s R&D team is looking for an experienced and innovative Platform Software Engineer to provide technical leadership, improve software engineering practices, and be hands on with our team of SW engineers with expertise in embedded, real-time, and computer vision
- In Evolv's fast-paced development environment, the R&D team is continuously innovating new features and integrating complementary technologies into our products
- We're looking for a senior embedded Linux developer who can own the platform from the ground up — bringing up a custom Yocto-based Linux distribution, writing and debugging kernel drivers, and building the secure boot and provisioning pipeline that ships with our hardware
- You'll work directly with Electrical Engineering Hardware Engineers to translate schematics into working device drivers and device tree configurations, and partner closely with our senior IC on peripheral architecture and automated validation
- Linux C++ Development for Embedded Systems with strong focus on BSP and Kernel
- Maintain ownership of the OS layer build process, constructing and optimizing custom Yocto recipes, layers, and configurations
- Write, modify, and optimize Linux kernel device trees to map custom hardware peripherals and ensure clean boot routines
- Debug low-level Linux kernel issues (boot failures, driver crashes, interrupt/DMA issues) using standard embedded Linux tooling (JTAG, serial console, kernel logs, ftrace/perf)
- Own the secure boot and provisioning pipeline end to end — signed images, secure key storage/injection, fused security state — from design through production readiness
- Diagnose hardware-software interface boundaries, including real-time timing constraints, power profiles, and thermal behavior
- Design and implement real-time systems interfacing with Linux on an SoC, meeting deterministic, low-latency requirements
- Enterprise-Level Software Development
- Design reusable, enterprise-grade C++ software - modular component reuse and clean API abstraction, built for longevity across multiple product lines
- Manage component versioning, dependency trees, and decoupling strategies in resource-constrained environments
- Write production-quality C/C++17 for both user-space applications and kernel-adjacent components
- Apply advanced design patterns and object-oriented principles to keep core libraries scalable and maintainable
- Build multithreaded applications using modern C++ concurrency primitives, thread synchronization, and lock-free techniques
- Write clean, well-documented, testable code; maintain quality through peer review and unit/functional testing
- Thoroughly document requirements, design intent, and validation data
- Use AI coding assistants (e.g., Claude) to accelerate development, testing, and documentation across the software lifecycle
- Electronics Integration & Prototyping
- Build and maintain Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test rigs and automated validation strategies to catch regressions at the hardware layer
- Bring up raw prototype boards in the lab, using bench instrumentation (oscilloscope, logic analyzer, multimeter) to root-cause signal-level issues
- Build Python-based scripting frameworks to automate test execution, parse hardware logs, and orchestrate system-level test behavior
- Cross Functional Collaboration
- Partner with EE/hardware teams throughout the product lifecycle — schematic review, component selection, and physical layout constraints
- Work with manufacturing to scale the provisioning process into production
- Support build automation, CI/CD pipelines, and SQA
- Leadership, Team Structure & Culture
- You will be joining the Firmware Engineering team and working closely with our C++ Software Development Team
- This role reports to the Principal Firmware Engineer and works alongside a team of software, systems and hardware talented engineers
- Our culture is built on the belief that exceptional products are created by teams that trust one another, challenge ideas respectfully, and remain committed to continuous growth
- We are guided by our core values: Do the Right Thing, Always, Put People First, Win Together, Own It, and Be Bold, Stay Curious
- These values shape how we make decisions, collaborate across teams, and deliver technology that drives meaningful business impact
- This is a team that enjoys solving hard problems together
- We celebrate wins, learn openly from setbacks, and believe that high performance and having fun are not mutually exclusive
- If you're energized by mentoring others, shaping technical direction, and building scalable platforms in a collaborative environment, you'll thrive here
- Success in the Role: Performance Outcomes
- In the first 30 days, you will:
- Demonstrate technical depth and earn the respect of senior developers
- Learn the product's hardware architecture
- Review existing code and software architecture
- Get hands-on in Yocto, contributing to Evolv's custom Linux distribution
- Within 90 days you will:
- Ship production-quality pull requests for small-to-medium features, with your first landing by day 30–45
- Assess the current product roadmap, BSP structure, and repository organization, and outline a platform strategy so future product lines share a common, reliable software foundation
- Actively contribute to architecture and design discussions, surfacing risks and improvements
- Evaluate the current CI/CD and build-automation setup and land at least one concrete improvement
- Get fluent in Evolv's full software development lifecycle, including DevOps, QA, and hardware integration touchpoints
- Within 12 months, you will:
- Own the architecture of reusable, enterprise-grade C++ platforms — modular, cleanly abstracted, and built for reuse across product lines (see "Enterprise-Level Software Development" below for the full scope)
- Lead at least one internal technical workshop or knowledge-sharing session
- Improve cross-functional workflows around testing, deployment, and system reliability
- Help define and enforce coding standards and best practices across the team
- Weigh in on long-term architectural decisions and product roadmap planning
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and psychological safety
Our take
Security screening systems are essential within venues such as concert halls, schools, and workplaces, but there are several problems with existing solutions. For example, lengthy queues and physically intimidating security checkpoints can taint visitor experiences, as well as cause congestion due to their inefficiencies.
Evolv Technology develops AI-driven screening systems, aiming to remove the tension, intimidation, and friction associated with security screening. It does this with a smart touchless screening sensor for weapon detection called Evolve Edge, in addition to an all-in-one venue security analytics platform called Evolv Express.
Whilst the company does face competition from similar security solutions at high-risk locations such as airports, its ability to serve a wide range of venues helps it stand out. With more than 1,200 customers worldwide and a platform combining proprietary hardware, visitor data, and AI-driven software delivered through long-term subscriptions, Evolv has built strong recurring revenue and durable customer relationships. Continued customer additions and expanded deployments helped drive a 40% increase in annual revenue in 2025, showing just how much the company is growing in the emerging market for AI-based weapons screening.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
30% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Jan 2020
$30m
SERIES C
Oct 2019
$24m
SERIES C
Total funding: $106.4m
Company benefits
- $150 Quarterly Perks Stipend: All employees receive a quarterly stipend to help cover the cost of the perks that are most meaningful to them.
- Unlimited PTO: Evolv encourages employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance with our unlimited paid time off policy.
- 401k Match: Secure your future with our generous 401k matching program.
- Equity: At Evolv, every employee is a shareholder and can share in our collective success.
- Calm Subscription: Access Calm’s premium wellness and meditation resources to support your mental health.
- Flexible Working: Enjoy the flexibility to work in a way that suits your lifestyle and commitments.
- Tuition Reimbursement: Pursue further education and professional development with our tuition reimbursement program.
Company HQ
Waltham, MA
Leadership
Anil Chitkara
(Co-Founder & CGO)Prior to co-founding Evolv Technology in 2013, Anil was an Executive-in-Residence at General Catalyst. He was also a Senior VP of Market Development at Oco and a VP at PTC.
John Kedzierski
(CEO, President & Director)Prior to joining Evolv Technology in 2024, John spent nearly 16 years at Motorola Solutions in various roles, including Senior VP of Global Enterprise Sales.
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