Director of Embedded Systems Engineering

About the role

Who We Are Inspiren offers a complete and connected technology ecosystem for senior living. Founded by Michael Wang, a former Green Beret and cardiothoracic nurse, Inspiren was built on the belief that compassionate care and technology can and should coexist. Our integrated solutions fit into existing workflows and give senior-living operators greater visibility into what is happening across their communities. Supported by nurse specialists and powerful analytics, Inspiren helps teams make informed clinical and operational decisions that improve efficiency, outcomes, and quality of care. You’ll join a growing global team united by a shared mission, with a new NYC office designed to strengthen collaboration and in-person connection. ABOUT THE ROLE We are seeking a visionary Director of Embedded Systems Engineering to serve as the strategic architect of our firmware organization. In this leadership role, you will hold full authority over the technical roadmap, team scaling, and operational processes for all Inspiren embedded systems. You will not simply manage existing headcount; you will strategically build a high-performance department capable of delivering complex, connected solutions across R&D, NPI, and sustaining engineering. You will be the primary driver of integrating AI-augmented engineering workflows to accelerate development cycles and set the global standard for how we collaborate with our JDM partners. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Strategic Team Building: Own the organizational design and long-term hiring strategy for the embedded systems team. You will proactively identify talent gaps and build a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and collaboration. - Process Architecture: Define the methodologies for modular, testable, and hardware-flexible platforms. You will establish the comprehensive technical playbooks, coding standards, and architectural expectations that govern how work is performed. - AI-First Engineering Evangelism: Act as the lead expert and educator on the integration of AI tools within the firmware lifecycle. You will identify and implement AI-driven automation for code generation, unit testing, and predictive maintenance to multiply the team's output. - JDM & Vendor Orchestration: Lead the technical relationship with our JDM partners. You will define the specifications and interface points that allow external teams to act as a high-velocity extension of our internal core. - Technical Roadmap Oversight: Provide strategic direction across Inspiren's core technology pillars: - Multi-Modal Perception & Sensing: Oversee the firmware strategy for Radar (mmWave), Optical Perception, and High-Fidelity Audio, ensuring low-latency processing and high-integrity data fusion. - Communication & Protocol Architecture: Architect a robust roadmap for multi-protocol utilization (WiFi, BLE, LoRa, Thread). You will lead the design and optimization of these channels to ensure mission-critical reliability and uptime. - Silicon & Platform Strategy: Manage the long-term roadmap for SoC selection and the "porting pedigree" required to move smoothly between silicon vendors (NVIDIA, MediaTek, Qualcomm, etc.). - Operational Excellence: Serve as the final word on fleet-wide OTA delivery, secure boot processes, and HIPAA-compliant data handling across the entire embedded ecosystem. - Cross-Functional Leadership: Serve as the technical bridge between firmware, hardware, and clinical teams, ensuring a unified systems-level approach to safety and reliability. WHAT YOU'LL BRING - Educational Background: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. - Experience: 12+ years in embedded systems engineering with 5+ years in a senior leadership role. You have a proven track record of building and scaling engineering departments for high-volume, mission-critical IoT ecosystems or sophisticated consumer electronics where reliability, connectivity, and hardware-software integration are paramount. - Technical Skills: - Strategic Systems Architecture: Expert knowledge of the full embedded landscape (MCU-based RTOS to MPU-based Embedded Linux) and expertise in defining high-level architectures for complex, low-power IoT ecosystems involving multi-modal sensing. - AI-Augmented Development: Practical experience implementing AI-driven CI/CD pipelines and LLM-assisted tools to accelerate the firmware lifecycle while maintaining code quality. - Global Resource Management: Demonstrated success managing JDM/ODM partnerships in Asia through clear technical documentation and rigorous quality accountability. - Protocol Mastery: High-level expertise in designing and optimizing wireless communication channels and networking stacks for ultra-reliable IoT performance. - Perception Hardware Oversight: Comprehensive understanding of firmware requirements for mmWave radar, optical sensors, and VoIP/WebRTC audio stacks. - Security & Compliance: Mastery of the firmware development lifecycle (SDLC) including secure boot, encrypted telemetry, and HIPAA-compliant data handling. - Leadership Traits: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence executive leadership and pivot strategies to meet 1-year and 2-year business goals. Start-up experience is a plus. What You’ll Get At Inspiren, you’ll help reshape how older adults live and age with greater safety, connection, and dignity. Here’s how we support the people making that possible: - Competitive Compensation — A strong base salary and variable compensation where applicable. - Ownership in Our Future — Equity that gives you a stake in the impact and value we’re building together. - Growth and Recognition — Semiannual reviews that recognize your contributions and support your continued development. - AI Tools and Training — Access to leading AI tools and company-wide training that help you work smarter and strengthen your skills.   For U.S.-Based Employees - Health and Wellness — Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, mental-health resources, and employee-assistance programs. - Financial Protection — A 401(k) retirement plan, HSA and FSA options, and company-paid life and disability insurance. - Time to Recharge — Flexible PTO, five paid sick days annually, company-observed holidays, and company-wide recharge periods designated each year. - Family Support — Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for bonding, additional leave for birthing parents, fertility and family-building benefits, and paid caregiver and bereavement leave. - Flexible Work Support — Hybrid and remote arrangements based on the role and location, along with home-office, internet, or phone reimbursement where applicable. DON’T MEET EVERY QUALIFICATION? Research shows that women and people of color may be less likely to apply unless they meet every qualification. If you’re excited about this role but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply—we’d love to hear from you.