Embedded Software Engineer, Haptics

About the Role

Hark is looking for an experience-focused, hands-on embedded engineer to build haptic and motion control system firmware and software that deliver incredible interaction experiences. We care a lot about how things feel, and how the people that use them feel, and we want someone who shares that craft mindset.

Responsibilities

• Write real-time firmware in C and C++ that drives motion and haptic systems.
• Close the loop on response time and feel. characterize actuator behavior on the bench and tune controllers until the result is genuinely pleasant to use.
• Stand up early hardware, prove out feel and timing in prototype form, and shape the final shipping experience alongside product and industrial design partners.

Requirements

• 5+ years writing firmware for microcontrollers in C and C++.
• Demonstrated hands-on motor or actuator control work that shipped — PID, feed-forward, FOC, observers, and similar techniques.
• Comfort on the bench with scopes, logic analyzers, and bus traffic over I²C, SPI, or I²S.
• Working knowledge of Python or another scripting language for measurement automation and quick data analysis.
• Clear written communication — you can explain a tradeoff to a non-firmware teammate without losing them.
• A strong instinct for what distinguishes haptics that feel right.

Bonus Qualifications

• DSP fundamentals: filtering, time-domain shaping, and basic perceptual modeling.
• RTOS experience or comfort with bare-metal scheduling for hard real-time control loops.
• Familiarity with low-power system design and the measurement habits that come with it.
• Prior work on consumer haptics, audio, or other systems where feel and timing are visible to the user.

Compensation

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $120,000 - $300,000 annually.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.