Embedded Software Engineer (m/x/d) - Radio & SDR Platforms

Role

Hive Robotics is building Europe's first full-stack orchestration platform for unmanned systems, connecting, controlling, and commanding multi-vendor drone and robot swarms across air, land, sea, and space. Our RF communication systems are Made in Germany, deployed on active frontlines, and targeting a 5 billion EUR European tactical communication market with no sovereign alternative today.

We are now looking for an Embedded Firmware Engineer who takes full ownership of the firmware that powers the radio and communication backbone of our systems. Our current focus is our RF communication module family for unmanned systems, in serial production and scaling fast. You will work at the intersection of embedded software, RF, and networking, building production-grade firmware for ARM-based radio modem hardware and shaping our next generation of Software Defined Radio platforms.

This is not a maintenance role. You design. You build. You ship. You will work directly with our hardware engineers, RF engineers, and firmware architects, and your work will run in systems that operate in demanding, jamming-resistant field environments where reliability is non-negotiable.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for ARM-based microcontrollers in production radio modem hardware.
• Integrate, configure, and optimize RTOS environments (Zephyr preferred, or FreeRTOS).
• Design, implement, and debug low-level networking protocols, including custom Layer 2 (MAC) and Layer 3 (IP/TCP/UDP) functionality.
• Develop secure bootloaders, firmware integrity mechanisms, and robust remote firmware update solutions over Ethernet/IP networks.
• Perform board bring-up, BSP development, and platform customization for ARM-based systems, including low-level peripheral drivers and hardware abstraction layers.
• Contribute to the architecture and development of next-generation SDR and wireless communication platforms.
• Analyze and optimize system performance, memory utilization, latency, and power consumption.
• Investigate and resolve complex issues using debuggers, oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and network diagnostic tools.
• Establish and maintain automated verification, testing, and CI/CD pipelines for embedded and Linux-based software.
• Collaborate closely with hardware and RF engineers during system integration, validation, and troubleshooting, and contribute to code reviews and software quality standards.

Requirements

Must-Have Qualifications

• Degree in Embedded Systems, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven track record delivering production-grade embedded firmware.
• Strong hands-on experience with ARM Cortex-M and/or Cortex-A platforms.
• Excellent C/C++ skills for embedded systems.
• Experience with Zephyr (preferred) or another RTOS (FreeRTOS, ThreadX).
• Solid understanding of embedded TCP/IP and Ethernet-based communication.
• Experience developing bootloaders and secure update mechanisms.
• Comfortable with JTAG/SWD debugging and hardware bring-up.
• High degree of ownership and the ability to collaborate effectively across disciplines.
• Excellent communication skills in English; German is a plus.
• Based in Munich or willing to relocate.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Embedded Linux development experience, including Yocto/PetaLinux build systems.
• Hands-on experience with Xilinx Zynq or Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC platforms.
• Familiarity with Linux kernel configuration, device trees, bootloaders (U-Boot), and driver development.
• Experience debugging Linux-based embedded systems using JTAG, GDB, kernel logs, and performance analysis tools.
• Understanding of Linux networking internals and TCP/IP stack implementation.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces such as JESD204 and LVDS in FPGA/SoC-based systems.

About us

Why Hive

• Real ownership from day one in a fast-scaling deep-tech company with products already in serial production and in the field.
• Work on sovereign European technology that matters, at the intersection of robotics, RF, and autonomy.
• Small, high-caliber team with short decision paths and direct access to founders and architects.
• Modern office in Munich with the tooling and equipment you need to do your best work.