I've hired hundreds of embedded engineers during my career, as my co-author Maurice Kalinowski. Compelling and accurate job descriptions are vital to hiring the right candidate. Here are our tips for understanding the role of embedded engineering and writing useful job descriptions.
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An embedded systems or software engineer helps design, develop, and maintain embedded systems in products. The role often includes software development. But it also requires knowledge of entire embedded systems.
There isn't a concrete definition of the role of an embedded engineer because it can vary by organization. Companies use the phrase "embedded engineer", but describe the role differently. Some companies use an embedded engineer to reference engineers who work primarily with embedded software. Other companies make the distinction that embedded engineers are more involved with the whole system.
An embedded engineer will work on embedded systems that need to accomplish a specific task. The engineer will often develop the software that's part of the system. The engineer may also help test the entire system to ensure it works well.
An embedded engineer's work duties will depend on the job title and their experience. A junior embedded engineer focuses on learning the basics of the system. A principal embedded engineer may help design and improve the entire system.
Embedded Architect: An architect often makes vital decisions about the structure of an entire system and oversees its development. "An embedded architect makes high-level design decisions and coordinates technical requirements for the entire project team," explains Dale Bertrand, a former embedded engineer who is now President of Fire and Spark. "This includes selecting programming languages, vendor tools, and deciding how the components of the system will interact."
Read our embedded engineering skills guide to learn more about what it takes to become an accomplished embedded engineer.
Embedded systems engineers need the right education, training, and experience in specific technical areas to do their jobs well. They will also need vital "soft" skills to excel at their jobs and work well with others.
Embedded engineers will have a broad range of experience in specific technologies and products. But there are some basic skills and expertise that all of them should have.
Technical skills in embedded engineering are vital. But many believe certain soft skills can be more critical. These skills highlight how an embedded engineer will interact with a team, learn new concepts, and grow.
"I'm personally a little bit wary of loading up job descriptions with a bunch of skills because they can be learned pretty easily. The goal is to match up a person's interest and all those soft skills. Are they really suited to work in a startup? Are they better tucked away in a large company? Are they multi-taskers? Or singularly focused?" shares Brent Horine, Ph.D., a Senior Embedded Software Developer with Hypergiant, an AI services integration platform for the space and defense industries.
Soft skills for embedded systems engineers and senior embedded systems engineers include:
Some soft skills principal embedded systems engineers should have:
"As a one-time college professor, I want to teach my engineering staff the skills they need...but you have to be a lifelong learner,” adds Horine.
Here are job descriptions for embedded engineering roles that you can download and use to support your team’s search for the ideal candidate.
Almost all embedded engineers study programming in college. Most have bachelor's degrees in computer science or engineering. Many have master's degrees or doctorate degrees.
Embedded engineers might earn college degrees in:
Most employers of embedded engineers value college degrees and—most importantly—work experience. But embedded engineers can also earn certifications to show expertise in specific areas.
Those certifications can be attractive to some companies and include:
Your career path as an embedded systems engineer depends in part on whether you're interested in becoming a manager. But here’s a look at how someone will progress in the field from least to most experienced:
Embedded engineers can also move into positions where they use skills beyond embedded engineering but their background is valuable. Those might include:
Experts believe the demand for embedded engineers will continue to grow as embedded systems become a part of more consumer and other products.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of future jobs in a range of industries. While the organization doesn't track embedded engineering specifically, it does track software developers and projects that the overall employment of software developers will grow 22% from 2019 to 2029. That's much faster than average for all occupations.
Qt can help embedded engineers develop their skills. Embedded engineers can watch a range of free embedded tutorials on the Qt ecosystem. We also offer embedded training sessions that provide in-depth insights into the Qt system.
We are always looking for accomplished embedded engineers to join our team.