Principal Embedded Software Engineer, Johnson Controls
$117-196k
+ Bonus Plan
Office located in Westford, MA
Thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency & decarbonization solutions
Be an early applicant
Thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency & decarbonization solutions
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$117-196k
+ Bonus Plan
Office located in Westford, MA
1001+ employees
Company mission
To create conditions that power the future.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on embedded software expertise with strong leadership, mentoring, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
- 10+ years of embedded software development experience
- Extensive experience programming in C and C++
- Strong expertise in embedded system architecture and software design principles
- Experience with Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and Embedded Linux
- Strong understanding of microcontrollers, processors, memory architectures, and hardware/software interfaces
- Experience with communication protocols such as:
- Ethernet, TCP/IP, CAN/CAN-FD, SPI, I2C, UART, USB
- Proficiency with debugging tools, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and software analysis tools
- Experience with software version control systems (GitHub preferred)
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in several of the following areas:
- Embedded Linux
- FreeRTOS, VxWorks, QNX, ThreadX, or similar RTOS platforms
- Device driver development
- Board Support Packages (BSP)
- Bootloaders and secure boot
- Networking and communications protocols
- Multi-threaded and concurrent programming
- Cybersecurity and secure software development
- Software architecture and design patterns
- Functional safety standards (IEC 61508, ISO 26262, IEC 62304, etc.)
- Software verification and validation
- Recognized technical authority within the organization
- Influences engineering strategy and technology roadmaps
- Guides architectural decisions across multiple product lines
- Mentors engineers and develops technical talent
- Drives engineering best practices and continuous improvement initiatives
- Builds strong partnerships across software, hardware, systems, quality, and product management teams
Desirable
- Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
- Experience with safety-critical or regulated systems
- Knowledge of cybersecurity principles for embedded systems
- Experience with model-based design and auto-code generation tools
- Familiarity with Agile/Scrum development methodologies
- Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams
- Knowledge of cloud-connected and IoT-enabled embedded devices
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and DevOps practices
What the job involves
- As a global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places, and the planet
- Join a winning team that enables you to build your best future!
- Our teams are uniquely positioned to support a multitude of industries across the globe
- You will have the opportunity to develop yourself through meaningful work projects and learning opportunities
- We strive to provide our employees with an experience focused on supporting their physical, financial, and emotional well-being
- Become a member of the Johnson Controls family and thrive in an empowering company culture where your voice and ideas will be heard – your next great opportunity is just a few clicks away!
- We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Embedded Software Engineer to provide technical leadership in the design, development, and delivery of embedded software solutions for complex products and systems
- This role serves as a recognized technical expert, driving software architecture, technology strategy, and engineering excellence across multiple programs
- Technical Leadership
- Define and drive the embedded software architecture, design standards, and development best practices
- Lead technical decision-making for embedded systems, including RTOS, Linux-based platforms, device drivers, middleware, networking, and application software
- Serve as the highest level of technical escalation for complex software issues
- Evaluate and introduce emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to improve product quality and development efficiency
- Drive software quality, reliability, safety, security, and maintainability throughout the product lifecycle
- Software Development
- Participate in requirements analysis and system-level tradeoff decisions
- Lead implementation of complex features and critical software components
- Perform code reviews and ensure adherence to coding standards and software development processes
- Optimize software performance, memory utilization, power consumption, and system reliability
- Ensure scalability, reuse, and long-term maintainability of software platforms
- Project & Team Leadership
- Mentor senior and junior engineers across the organization
- Lead technical planning, risk management, and estimation activities
- Influence engineering roadmaps and strategic technology direction
- Support project execution by identifying technical risks and mitigation strategies
- Foster a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and continuous improvement
- Collaborate with hardware, firmware, systems, validation, cybersecurity, and product teams
- Success Metrics:
- Delivery of high-quality, reliable embedded software solutions
- Successful implementation of scalable software architectures
- Reduction in software defects and technical debt
- Improved engineering productivity and development efficiency
- Growth and development of engineering talent
- Achievement of project, product, and business objectives
Our take
It's no secret that data centres need huge amounts of power, but a lot of the energy they produce ends up as waste heat. And as AI drives demand for computing power, operators are under extra pressure to get more from the electricity and infrastructure they already have - without putting more strain on the grid.
Johnson Controls is tackling this by turning that wasted heat into something useful. Its absorption chillers can use heat from on-site generators to help power cooling, reducing the electricity required for cooling and potentially freeing up more computing capacity. At the same time, its OpenBlue platform uses AI to make buildings smarter by automatically optimising airflow and optimising the management of equipment and maintenance.
The early results are promising, as Johnson Controls says its technology can cut airside energy use by nearly 10% in some applications. Moreover, its data centre approach could unlock significant additional computing capacity. With this success, the company is now betting that combining thermal technology with AI-powered software will help buildings and data centres do more with less.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Company HQ
Ballintemple, Cork, Ireland
Leadership
Joakim Weidemanis
(CEO)Prior to joining Johnson Control in 2025, Joakim spent 13 years at Danaher Corporation. While there, they held various roles, including Executive VP.
Chris Bontempo
(CMO)Prior to joining Johnson Control in 2024, Chris spent nearly 19 years at IBM. While there, they held various roles, including VP of Cloud & Cognitive Software (Americas) and CMO of IBM Americas.
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