Haptics Firmware Engineer
Hark · San Jose, CA
$120,000–$300,000from the description
Jul 15, 2026
San Jose, CA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
This role centers on writing real-time firmware in C and C++ for haptic and motion control systems in consumer hardware. The engineer will characterize actuator behavior, tune controllers, and work with prototype hardware to shape the physical feel of the final product, collaborating with product and industrial design teams. It suits an experienced embedded engineer with a background in motor or actuator control who cares deeply about how interactions feel to end users.
Senior level · 5+ years · National · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $138,970 (middle half $107,524–$175,762). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
No work location is specified in the posting; the compensation range is stated as a US base salary, so the role is treated as US-based. Remote status is unspecified and defaulted to false given the hands-on, bench-work nature of the role.
SOC classification is a judgement call: the role is primarily embedded firmware engineering (writing real-time C/C++ code for microcontrollers), which maps most naturally to 15-1252 Software Developers. 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is noted as a runner-up given the specialized embedded/hardware nature of the work.
The '5+ years' requirement is stated as '5+ years writing firmware for microcontrollers in C and C++' — this is simultaneously a role-level experience gate (the overall years minimum of 5) and tied to the named technologies C and C++; the years demanded is set on those skills accordingly.
Python is listed in the Requirements section with the qualifier 'or another scripting language'; alternatives are not named, so well-known scripting substitutes (Bash, Ruby, MATLAB) could apply, but the JD names only Python — listed as required with no alternatives per the open-ended 'or similar' convention.
Motor/actuator control techniques (PID, feed-forward, FOC, observers) are listed together as a single demonstrated capability; PID is used as the canonical skill name with the others treated as context for that same requirement.
DSP, RTOS, and low-power system design appear under the 'Bonus Qualifications' heading and are marked as preferred.
The compensation range ($120,000–$300,000) is unusually wide; the posting notes pay varies by individual factors.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): low-power system design.
Read the full posting
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