Sr. Embedded Systems & Firmware Engineer - HYBRID

AEM (Advanced Environmental Monitoring) is the global leader in innovative mission critical weather, wildfire and water monitoring and intelligence solutions. We aim to be the world’s essential source for environmental insights – enabling decisive action and positive outcomes for our customers and their constituents. Our family of innovators offers world-class hydrometeorological technologies and services, including sensors, dataloggers, telemetry, and advanced analytics and software. Our technology and services empower the communities and organizations to survive – and thrive – in the face of escalating environmental risks.  

Van Essen Instruments, an AEM brand, was founded in 1938 by Cornelis van Essen in Delft, Netherlands. In the early 1990s, Van Essen began to offer standard water related equipment such as standalone dataloggers, which used external sensors and flow meters for open channels. We also offer telemetric solutions. Since the deployment of the first Diver, Van Essen sold over 200,000 dataloggers worldwide. Its commitment to quality and performance has established Van Essen Instruments as one of the premier brands in the industry. Van Essen has its headquarters in the Netherlands (Delft), and sales locations in Canada and the US. For more information, please visit www.vanessen.com. 

We're looking for a hands-on engineer to take ownership of firmware and embedded systems work across our connected device portfolio — from initial concept through production-ready, certified products. You'll work across hardware, firmware, mechanical design, and cloud connectivity, and you'll be the technical anchor ensuring our products are secure, compliant, and manufacturable. You'll also act as the primary technical liaison between Van Essen (Delft) and our sister site, Lambrecht Meteo (Göttingen, Germany), on hardware, testing, security, and certification alignment.

This role suits an engineer who likes working across disciplines rather than staying in one lane — someone equally comfortable reviewing a schematic, writing firmware, debugging a prototype on the bench, and walking a certification body through a security design.

Job Responsibilities: 

Firmware & Embedded Systems

• Own firmware design, implementation, and maintenance across our connected device portfolio — bootloaders, data acquisition, telemetry interfaces, and OTA update mechanisms.
• Conduct board bring-up, debugging, and hardware validation for new and existing products.
• Integrate cryptographic mechanisms (AES, ECC) and evaluate the transition to certificate-based authentication and mutual TLS (mTLS) for end-to-end device security.
• Review electrical schematics and mechanical designs, providing system-level input so hardware, firmware, and cloud connectivity work together correctly in the finished product.

Product Delivery, Prototyping & Production

• Guide products from concept through design, testing, and production, determining the engineering work needed and coordinating it across disciplines.
• Build, test, and debug prototypes during product development.
• Support the transition from prototype to production and help resolve manufacturing issues, working directly with contract manufacturers and production partners.
• Provide sustaining engineering support for products already in production or in the field.
• Lead technical design reviews and help resolve engineering issues across hardware, firmware, and mechanical design.

Compliance & Certification

• Ensure firmware and product designs meet European cybersecurity and radio regulations, including RED (2014/53/EU) and NIS2.
• Lead the technical work required for product certification, working with internal regulatory experts and external certification bodies.
• Support QA and compliance documentation to meet regulatory expectations.

Collaboration

• Act as the primary technical point of contact between Van Essen Instruments (Delft) and Lambrecht Meteo (Göttingen) on hardware, testing, security, and certification alignment.
• Maintain firmware repositories and release processes using CI/CD practices (e.g., GitHub Enterprise).
• Coordinate with product management, hardware engineering, and compliance teams on requirements, schedules, and deliverables.

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended at any time at the sole discretion of the Employer.

• 5+ years of hands-on experience developing embedded firmware and hardware products from concept through production. (Candidates with 8–10+ years of relevant experience will be considered for the senior end of the compensation range — see below.)
• Strong understanding of embedded firmware and how it interacts with hardware, mechanical design, and cloud/software layers.
• Experience with secure firmware practices: bootloaders, OTA update mechanisms, and cryptographic integration (AES, ECC).
• Comfortable reviewing hardware and mechanical designs and engaging in system-level design trade-offs.
• Familiarity with European cybersecurity/radio compliance (RED, NIS2) or a comparable regulatory framework (e.g., medical, automotive, industrial functional safety) — direct RED/NIS2 experience is a plus, not a requirement.
• A practical, clear communicator who works well with distributed and international teams.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with low-power microcontroller families such as TI MSP430, STM32/Arm Cortex-M, or similar — specific platform experience matters less than depth with the category.
• Experience with cellular or telemetry modules (e.g., Telit LE910 or comparable).
• C/C++ and RTOS or bare-metal systems (FreeRTOS, TI-RTOS, or similar).
• LabVIEW or Python for automated test development.
• Familiarity with Azure IoT Hub or AWS IoT Core.
• Experience supporting CE, RED, or other regulatory certification processes with external bodies.
• Working knowledge of Dutch or German.
• Experience operating in Agile or hybrid development environments.

Additional Information: 

• This is a hybrid opportunity that will be performed from our offices in Delft, the Netherlands. This position is eligible for remote work 1-2 days per week.
• Holidays, Pension arrangements and other secondary benefits as regulated in CAO Metaal en Techniek (CBA)
• Must be eligible to work in the Netherlands without company sponsorship, now or in the future, for employment-based work authorization. 

Compensation Range: A reasonable estimate of the current salary range for this position is 70,000 - 95,000 EUR per year. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. AEM considers a wide range of factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education, licensure and certifications, key skills as well as other market and business considerations when extending an offer. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. 

This position will accept applications on an ongoing basis and will be closed once the position is filled. 

AEM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.