Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer Contractor
Thermal Control System Development
Company: Cohu, Inc.
Location: San Diego, CA
Duration: 3 Month Contract (potential extension)
Work Arrangement: This is a full-time contractor position on-site role (minimum of 32 hours per week) at Cohu’s semiconductor test handler & thermal systems innovation center located in San Diego, CA (Rancho Bernardo).
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Embedded Firmware Engineer Contractor to develop firmware for a high-performance multichannel thermal control system based on an STM32H7 microcontroller. The controller performs fast simultaneous temperature acquisition, executes multiple independent PID control loops, and communicates system data through a 100 Mbps Ethernet interface.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on engineer who is equally comfortable developing embedded firmware and troubleshooting hardware in the laboratory.
Responsibilities
- Develop bare-metal firmware for an STM32H7-based thermal control platform.
- Implement simultaneous temperature acquisition from I2C and RTDs
- Develop, implement, and tune multiple independent PID-based control loops.
- Support hardware bring-up, integration, and validation activities.
- Debug peripherals and interfaces like ADCs, I2C, PWM, Ethernet, and GPIOs.
- Work closely with hardware engineers to diagnose and resolve board-level and system-level issues.
- Participate in system testing, performance characterization, and firmware optimization.
Required Qualifications
- BS degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or closely related field and 7+ years of embedded firmware development experience OR MS degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or closely related field and 4+ years of embedded firmware development experience.
Experience developing and tuning temperature control systems, power control systems, or other real-time feedback control applications.
- Strong C programming skills.
- Extensive experience with development on STM32H7 devices.
- Experience implementing PID or other closed-loop control algorithms.
- Experience with hardware bring-up, prototype validation, and schematic review.
- Proficiency using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and digital multimeters to troubleshoot firmware and hardware integration issues.
Expected Deliverables
During the contract period, the contractor is expected to deliver:
- Successful bring-up and validation of the STM32H7-based hardware platform.
- A reliable, production-ready thermal control firmware architecture supporting multiple independent control channels and meeting measurement accuracy specifications.
- Ethernet communication infrastructure supporting at least 50 Mbps data throughput.
- Well-structured, maintainable, and thoroughly commented source code suitable for long-term product support and future development.
- Firmware designed for robustness, reliability, fault detection, and recovery in a production environment.
- Technical documentation sufficient to support future maintenance, testing, and product release activities.
Compensation: The estimated base pay range for this position is $75 -$85 per hour, depending on qualifications, experience, education, and other job-related factors. This range represents Cohu’s good faith estimate of what it reasonably expects to pay for this contractor position.
Skills Required
- BS degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related field and 7+ years of embedded firmware development experience
- MS degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related field and 4+ years of embedded firmware development experience
- Experience developing and tuning temperature control systems, power control systems, or other real-time feedback control applications
- Strong C programming skills
- Extensive experience developing on STM32H7 devices
- Experience implementing PID or other closed-loop control algorithms
- Experience with hardware bring-up, prototype validation, and schematic review
- Proficiency using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and digital multimeters for firmware and hardware integration troubleshooting
Cohu, Inc. Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cohu, Inc. and has not been reviewed or approved by Cohu, Inc..
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Retirement Support — A company-sponsored 401(k) with employer matching contributions is described in filings, supporting long-term savings. Company materials also highlight retirement programs as part of a comprehensive package.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — An employee stock purchase plan with a discounted lookback feature is outlined, expanding access to ownership. This structure can enhance total rewards value beyond base pay.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Company materials outline robust paid time off programs and parental leave for all new parents. Time-off programs are presented as part of a comprehensive, globally relevant benefits suite.
Cohu, Inc. Insights
What We Do
Cohu is a leading supplier of semiconductor test and inspection & metrology handlers, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) test modules, test contactors, thermal sub-systems and semiconductor automated test equipment used by global semiconductor and electronics manufacturers and semiconductor test subcontractors. Our product portfolio is focused on increasing yield, reducing cost of test, and accelerating time-to-market. Cohu is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: COHU) global company with headquarters in Poway, CA. We have a global footprint with ~3,000 employees. We are the leading supplier of Semiconductor Test and Inspection & Metrology Handlers and Test Contactors. We have market leadership in RF Power Amplifier/Front-End Module Testing.
