Staff Engineer - Applications Software

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Austin, TX, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Hardware • Internet of Things • Software • Wearables • Semiconductor
Join the Team Powering the Future of Edge AI
The Role
Develop and optimize low-power embedded software for Ambiq microcontrollers and SoCs. Responsibilities include creating drivers, applications, tools, board support packages, and documentation; characterizing and profiling power usage; enabling Zephyr and AmbiqSuite; debugging hardware and software issues; supporting customers and field engineers; and assisting with hardware evaluation platforms and silicon issue analysis.
Summary Generated by Built In

Company Overview

Ambiq is on a mission to enable intelligence everywhere — powering the AI edge revolution with the world's lowest-power semiconductor solutions.

Built on our proprietary sub- and near-threshold technology, our chips deliver multi-fold improvements in energy efficiency without costly process scaling. Since 2010, we've shipped over 300 million units to customers building smarter wearables, medical devices, IoT products, and AI-powered edge applications.

Our cross-functional teams span design, research, development, production, marketing, sales, and operations across Austin, Hsinchu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore. We move fast, tackle hard problems, and create space for people to grow through complex, meaningful work that shapes the future of technology.

We're looking for self-motivated, creative problem-solvers who are eager to push technological limits and make a real impact in energy efficiency.

At Ambiq, we live by five values: Innovate. Collaborate. Focus. Learn. Achieve.

If that's you, join us — the intelligence everywhere revolution starts here.


This role will be on-site 5 days a week in NW Austin.

Scope  
  • As the Staff Applications Software Engineer, Power at Ambiq, you will work with Architecture, Design, Validation, Sales, Software Engineering, and field teams to demonstrate the low-power advantages of Ambiq’s SoC portfolio. You will develop examples and tools for power estimation and measurement, support power characterization and profiling for system use cases, and help customers optimize SoC power efficiency. Your work will also include example applications for Ambiq and customer evaluation hardware, device drivers, HAL updates, and Zephyr enablement in the most power-efficient way. You will debug device-level software issues, support field engineers with customer issues, and create customer-facing documentation, including application notes and software design guidelines. 

    The ideal candidate is a seasoned, hands-on engineer with a strong understanding of embedded development on Cortex-M MCUs, low-power techniques, bare-metal and real-time operating systems, and embedded software debugging. They communicate clearly in writing and in person, learn quickly, thrive in a lab environment, enjoy solving challenging engineering problems, and continually seek to improve products and engineering processes. 

    Responsibilities 

    • Work closely with product marketing, field engineering, validation, software development, and system test teams to develop power-related example applications, tools, and documentation;
    • Support power optimization across AmbiqSuite and Zephyr SDK offerings; characterize SoC and system power use cases; and demonstrate our competitive advantage to the market.  
    • Design, debug, port, and analyze embedded microcontroller software drivers, algorithms, application code, board support packages, automated scripts, and test cases to provide the required functionality to end customers. 
    • Collaborate with internal development teams to analyze and debug complex system-level issues and develop software solutions. 
    • Assist customers in using the Ambiq SDKs and hardware platforms. 
    • Collaborate with hardware engineering in the architecture and design of hardware evaluation platforms; provide software for testing and debugging of hardware evaluation platforms.  
    • Develop custom software functions and applications to support microcontroller power and performance analysis and silicon-issue debugging. 
    • Bridge the communication between field and engineering teams for field issues and manage issue status tracking. 

     

    Qualifications 

    • MS in ECE or Computer Science with 6+ years of experience, or a BS in ECE/CS with 8+ years of experience. 
    • Required: Experience developing embedded MCU code in C. 
    • Experience with embedded systems in real-time environments.  
    • Experience optimizing power efficiency in consumer electronics and IoT applications. 
    • Experience with Zephyr is a plus. 
    • Experience with at least one MCU IDE from ARM, Keil, IAR, SEGGER, or other. 
    • Familiarity with MCU peripherals including SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, USB, I2S, and PDM. MIPI and USB are a plus.  
    • Experience with Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy.  
    • Experience with short-range technologies including Zigbee and Thread is a plus.  
    • Hands-on lab experience with equipment such as logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and power measurement equipment. 
    • Familiarity with source code control systems (git) required. 
    • Excellent problem-solving skills for complex system-level HW/SW debug issues. 
    • Experience with embedded graphics and display technologies is a plus. 
    • Scripting experience is required, and Python experience is especially desirable.  
    • Experience leveraging modern AI-assisted software development tools (e.g., Cursor, Codex, or similar) is desirable. 

 

Must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer. We do not sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas (now or in the future) for this role.


Skills Required

  • MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering or Computer Science with 6 or more years of experience, or BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering or Computer Science with 8 or more years of experience
  • Embedded MCU software development experience in C
  • Experience with embedded systems in real-time environments
  • Experience optimizing power efficiency in consumer electronics and IoT applications
  • Experience with at least one MCU IDE from ARM, Keil, IAR, SEGGER, or equivalent
  • Familiarity with MCU peripherals including SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, USB, I2S, and PDM
  • Experience with Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy
  • Hands-on laboratory experience with logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and power measurement equipment
  • Familiarity with Git or other source code control systems
  • Scripting experience
  • Excellent problem-solving skills for complex system-level hardware and software debugging
  • Current authorization to work in the United States for any employer
  • Experience with Zephyr
  • Experience with MIPI and USB
  • Experience with Zigbee and Thread
  • Experience with embedded graphics and display technologies
  • Python experience
  • Experience with modern AI-assisted software development tools such as Cursor or Codex

Ambiq Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is presented as robust, including employer-paid medical, dental, and vision alongside mental-health support and HSA/FSA options. These inclusions indicate comprehensive protection that extends beyond core medical care.
  • Retirement Support — Retirement support includes a 401(k) plan with company matching and access to financial-planning tools. Such features enhance long-term savings and reinforce financial security.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is outlined as generous on paper, with PTO, numerous paid holidays, a floating holiday, carryover allowances, and a year-end shutdown. This structure can provide meaningful breaks and flexibility across the year.

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The Company
HQ: Austin, Texas
220 Employees
Year Founded: 2010

What We Do

Ambiq® enables intelligence (AI and beyond) everywhere by delivering the lowest-power semiconductor solutions for battery-powered edge devices. As a pioneer in ultra-low power SoCs, Ambiq empowers wearables, IoT, smart home, healthcare, and industrial products with always-on, energy-efficient intelligence. Backed by our SPOT® technology and global innovation leadership, Ambiq is shaping the future of edge AI.

Why Work With Us

Direct influence on silicon architecture Smaller, high-impact teams Hardware/software co-design in real time Faster technical decision cycles Visible ownership at Staff & Director level Austin-based collaboration culture

Ambiq Offices

OnSite Workspace

Building silicon and embedded AI systems requires tight collaboration across firmware, hardware, validation, and architecture teams. We believe the hardest engineering problems are solved through direct, daily collaboration.

Typical time on-site:
HQAustin, Texas
Taiwan
China
Singapore
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