Embedded Firmware Engineer

Be a part of saving lives

The Road to your rewarding career starts here!

Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (ACS) is an established Canadian safety technology manufacturer based in Toronto with global operations. We have spent 50 years turning breathalyzer science into a global mission: stopping impaired driving before it costs a life. From ignition interlocks and personal breathalyzers to drug-screening tech like DrugWipe®, ACS provides governments, employers, and everyday drivers with tools trusted on roads around the world. We engineer the most accurate alcohol-sensing technology on the market. ACS isn't just building devices — it's building safer roads, one breath test at a time.

The Position

Embedded Firmware Engineer

We are seeking a highly skilled Embedded Firmware Engineer to join our development team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for working closely with the Engineering Group on the design, development, testing, documentation, and maintenance of firmware for embedded devices. The role will also support the Product Development Manager with project management activities.

Responsibilities:

• Establish design requirements, specifications, block diagrams, test requirements, test plans, and test procedures for product firmware.
• Implement and troubleshoot firmware designs based on product requirements.
• Support Test Engineering and Quality Assurance teams during firmware verification and validation.
• Customize and adapt Board Support Packages (BSPs) for new products based on schematic diagrams and IC data sheets.
• Prepare technical documentation detailing firmware operation for both internal and external customers.
• Develop new operational algorithms to support requested product features.
• Develop code for bare-metal systems and RTOS.
• Enforce clean code principles, architectural separation of concerns, and modular design across firmware layers.
• Analyze, maintain, and safely modernize existing legacy codebases to improve performance and maintainability.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing teams and affiliate companies.
• Assist with project management activities, including preparing Microsoft Project files, managing action item lists, facilitating design requirement communication across interdisciplinary teams, and supporting production troubleshooting during product launch and ramp-up.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary project teams throughout the product lifecycle.
• Review and analyze electrical hardware schematics and component datasheets to ensure software alignment with board layouts.
• Test early-stage hardware and prototypes by developing custom, lightweight test firmware to validate component functionality and board bring-up.
• Utilize, maintain, and structure embedded software projects on GitLab/GitHub, including managing repositories, branching strategies, and merging workflows.

Qualifications/ Education:

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent.
• 2+ years of work experience in firmware design roles for real-time embedded systems using RTOS and bare-metal environments.
• Experience developing on ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers is required.
• Strong C programming skills for embedded systems.
• Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting skills for tracking down complex bugs, and the patience to navigate legacy architectures. (including debuggers, oscilloscopes, and other lab equipment).
• Proficiency with integrated development environments (VSCode, Eclipse) as well as manual build environments (GNU tools, batch files, and shell scripts).
• Good understanding of electronic circuit design to provide meaningful feedback during the product design stage.
• Experience with communication protocols and peripherals: SPI, I2C, UART, RS232, RTC, and WDT.
• Experience with AT commands.
• Converter peripherals used to sample raw analog signals from sensors or generate precise analog voltage outputs.
• Good familiarity using Git, GitHub/GitLab, including best practices (e.g., interactive rebasing, resolving complex merge conflicts, and meaningful commit structures).
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel, and Word.
• Excellent English language and technical writing skills.
• Experience with USB/Ethernet drivers/stack on embedded system application.
• Experience/Familiar with CAN and LIN protocols.
• Hands on with Bluetooth LE application.
• Experience using LGVL or another lighweight graphic library for embedded systems.
• Experience with Linux environment.
• Hands on using LittleFS as embedded file system.

Why Should You Apply?

We embrace diversity: As an international company, our workforce reflects the diversity of the international community.

Respect: We believe in ethical standards, core values, and maintaining positive, respectful relationships.

Learn: We encourage continuous learning, development and career growth.

Collaborate: We are a diverse and close-knit group. We combine different experiences with distinct backgrounds and strive to ensure your voices are heard.

Our Benefits:

• Company Pension Plan
• Group Insurance Benefits
• Continue to learn
• Vacation & Paid Time off
• Employee Assistance Program
• Rewards for Innovation
• Long Term Service Awards

Ready to get started?

Apply today!