Freelance Embedded Software Engineer

Freelance Embedded Software Engineer (Industrial Communications) -- 12‑Month Contract (Remote, Germany)

Location: Fully Remote (within Germany)

Contract Length: 12 Months (extension possible)

Engagement: Freelance / Contract

Industry: Industrial Communications / Industrial Automation

Start Date: Rolling Start

Requirement: Setup/Eligibility to set up as a Freelancer in Germany/EU

About the Project

You will join a cross‑functional engineering team developing the next generation of industrial Ethernet communication firmware used in automation controllers and edge‑connected devices.

The project focuses on implementing and optimizing an embedded protocol stack for PROFINET and EtherCAT communication modules used in high‑reliability industrial environments.

This is a greenfield integration project:

• Building new features for an updated communications module
• Ensuring compatibility with leading industrial fieldbus standards
• Working closely with hardware, systems, and test teams to deliver production‑ready firmware

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize embedded C/C firmware for industrial communication devices
• Implement and maintain protocol stack components (e.g., PROFINET, EtherCAT, OPC UA, Modbus TCP)
• Work with RTOS environments (e.g., FreeRTOS, ThreadX, Zephyr) and low‑level drivers
• Perform debugging, profiling, and performance tuning on embedded platforms
• Collaborate on system architecture decisions and contribute to technical design documentation
• Integrate firmware with custom industrial hardware (ARM Cortex‑M / Cortex‑A--based MCUs)
• Support automated testing, simulation frameworks, and CI/CD pipelines for embedded systems
• Work with international teams across software, hardware, QA, and product management
• Ensure compliance with industrial standards and safety requirements

Required Skills & Experience

• 5 years of professional experience in embedded software development
• Strong proficiency in C and C (embedded focus)
• Hands‑on experience with industrial communication protocols (one or more):
  • PROFINET
  • EtherCAT
  • CANopen
  • Modbus TCP
  • OPC UA
• Solid understanding of RTOS, task scheduling, interrupts, and memory‑constrained systems
• Experience with ARM-based microcontrollers and low‑level peripheral drivers (SPI, I2C, UART, DMA)
• Familiarity with embedded Linux is a plus
• Proficiency with debugging tools (e.g., JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers)
• Experience working in Agile development environments
• Strong English skills; German is a plus but not required
• Based in Germany for contract compliance requirements

Nice‑to‑Have Qualifications

• Experience with safety‑critical or high‑reliability systems (IEC 61508, ISO 13849)
• Familiarity with TSN (Time‑Sensitive Networking)
• Knowledge of cybersecurity considerations in embedded systems (secure boot, encryption, etc.)
• Python scripting for automation or test development
• Experience contributing to open-source embedded or protocol stack projects