Must have

• Python

• Debugging

• C++

• ESP32/ESP-IDF

• English

• Polish

Nice to have

• Kafka

• Redis

• Snowflake

• MLOps

• Docker

• Golang

• dbt

• Kubernetes

• Terraform

• IoT

• REST API

• FastAPI

• Flask

• CI/CD

• Git

• MySQL

Requirements description

What we’re looking for We are seeking a Senior Embedded Systems Engineer to take ownership of our intelligent retail monitoring system. This role encompasses both the embedded firmware (ESP32-based) and the Python backend infrastructure that processes real-time image data and device telemetry from deployed edge devices.

What you need to be successful

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience
• 5+ years with embedded C/C++ and microcontroller development
• 5+ years with Python backend development
• Experience with ESP32/ESP-IDF specifically
• Proven track record shipping production IoT or embedded systems
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication

Nice to Have

• Camera systems and image sensor drivers implementation
• Computer vision or image processing background
• Retail technology or smart shelf experience
• Open-source contributions to embedded or IoT projects
• Electrical engineering background or hardware debugging skills

What Makes You a Strong Candidate

• You've shipped production embedded systems that are battery-powered and deployed in the field.
• You can read datasheets, schematics, and debug hardware-software integration issues.
• You understand the entire stack from silicon to cloud API.
• You're comfortable context-switching between low-level bit manipulation and high-level API design.
• You can diagnose issues from memory dumps, log files, and packet captures.
• You write clean, maintainable code with comprehensive error handling.
• You have experience with power-constrained, real-time systems.
• You've debugged race conditions, memory leaks, and stack overflows.
• You can balance perfectionism with pragmatic shipping of reliable products.

Work Environment & Collaboration

• Autonomy: You'll own the entire technology stack from bootloader to cloud API.
• Impact: Your code runs on deployed devices in production retail environments.
• Pace: Fast-paced with rapid iteration cycles.
• Tools: Modern development workflows with version control, code review, CI/CD.
• Support: Access to hardware lab, test devices, and debugging equipment.

About This Role

This is a senior individual contributor role requiring both breadth (full-stack IoT) and depth (embedded systems expertise). You'll have significant technical influence over the product's architecture and reliability.

Offer description

Focal Systems is the industry leader in retail AI solutions. We are headquartered in San Francisco, California with operations in Canada and the UK, and a tech-hub in Poland. We are a Deep Learning first company. Our mission is to automate and optimize brick and mortar retail using deep learning computer vision. Focal Systems has been deployed at scale with some of the top retailers in the world.

We seek smart, creative and passionate people who want to help build a great and enduring company and deploy Deep Learning to the world!

Why Focal Systems Strong Values and Mission - We are a tightly-knit team with an ambitious mission and a strong set of core values, which define our approach to business and have successfully guided us since inception.

Exceptional Team - We are a team of hard-working, fun-loving professionals from some of the most eminent universities, research labs, and tech companies of our time. We pride ourselves on recruiting exceptional individuals to help us redefine the state-of-the-art.

Outstanding Partners - We work with 10+ of the largest retailers in the world and have a world-class roster of investors, advisors and partners to support & advise us in our endeavors.

What we offer We care deeply about the health, happiness, and wellbeing of all of our employees. We offer:

• Competitive Salary & Attractive Stock Options
• Paid Time Off
• Team Retreats

Note: Our pay bands are driven by market benchmarks in the target geography for hiring. Our posted ranges typically include multiple job levels. A candidate's level is determined by their performance throughout our talent acquisition process including technical screens, behavior interviews, presentations, work samples, and references. We will communicate transparently with the candidate at final stages regarding how we have leveled them, and what salary range that places them into. Placement within range is equally determined by education, general experience in your profession, specific experience in our domain, and your performance in the talent acquisition process. It is rare to receive an offer at the top of the range for a role.

Your responsibilities

1. Firmware Development & Maintenance: Enhance ESP32-based camera firmware.
2. Backend Development & Integration: Enhance our camera communication protocol and backend services behind it.
3. System Architecture & Reliability: Debug complex multi-protocol issues (WiFi, BLE, HTTP/HTTPS).