Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Company Overview
What’s the best place we’ve ever built? The place where we work. At Home Depot, our goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products, and the most competitive prices. As the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, we operate more than 2,200 retail stores across North America. And each of our associates are focused one thing — helping our customers build and improve their homes, businesses, and ultimately their lives.
Position Purpose
Position Summary
The Embedded Software Principle is responsible for the architecture, development, and delivery of embedded software systems that power autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and related robotic platforms. This role leads the design and implementation of real-time software controlling robot motion, navigation, sensing, communications, safety systems, and hardware integration.
The Embedded Software Principle serves as the technical authority for embedded systems within the robotics organization and works closely with Robotics, Controls, Electrical, Mechanical, Software Platform, QA, and Product teams to ensure reliable operation in demanding warehouse and industrial environments.
The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in embedded systems with practical experience deploying and supporting mobile robotic platforms in production environments.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
- Define and maintain the embedded software architecture for robotic platforms.
- Establish engineering standards, coding guidelines, testing requirements, and development processes.
- Lead technical design reviews and architecture discussions.
- Mentor embedded software engineers and provide technical guidance.
- Drive technical decision-making across robotics and platform initiatives.
- Collaborate with Product Management and Engineering leadership on technology roadmaps.
Embedded Software Development
- Design, develop, and maintain embedded software running on robotic platforms.
- Develop software for:
- Robot motion control and navigation systems
- Sensor fusion
- Power management
- Communications
- Diagnostics
- Safety systems
- Implement robust and maintainable software using modern engineering practices.
- Optimize software performance for real-time and resource-constrained environments.
Mobile Robotics Systems
- Develop software supporting autonomous robot operation in warehouse and industrial environments.
- Support integration of:
- Lidar systems
- Cameras
- IMUs
- OTA Updates
- Safety sensors
- Motor controllers
- Battery management systems
- Wireless communication systems (4g)
- Collaborate with robotics engineers on navigation and autonomy features.
- Support fleet-scale deployment and operational reliability.
Hardware Integration
- Partner with Electrical and Mechanical Engineering teams during hardware development.
- Develop drivers and interfaces for embedded peripherals and custom hardware.
- Participate in board bring-up and hardware validation activities.
- Diagnose and resolve hardware/software integration issues.
- Support prototype development and production releases.
Reliability & Functional Safety
- Design and implement software operating under real-time constraints.
- Design systems with fault tolerance and graceful degradation capabilities.
- Implement monitoring, diagnostics, and recovery mechanisms.
- Support safety-related development activities.
- Conduct failure mode analysis and risk assessments.
- Ensure operational robustness in production environments.
Verification & Validation
- Define testing strategies for embedded systems.
- Support automated testing and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation.
- Partner with QA and Simulation teams to validate robotic behavior.
- Develop tools to improve testability and diagnostics.
- Participate in release certification activities.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or related field.
- 8+ years of embedded software development experience.
- 3+ years of technical leadership or lead engineering experience.
- Experience developing software for mobile robotic systems.
- Strong proficiency in C and C++.
- Experience with embedded Linux systems.
- Experience debugging hardware/software interactions.
- Strong understanding of real-time systems and concurrency.
- Experience with software architecture and system design.
- Experience working with an RTOS.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).
- Experience in warehouse automation, logistics, industrial automation, or autonomous vehicles.
- Familiarity with navigation, localization, and sensor fusion concepts.
- Experience with safety-critical or mission-critical systems.
- Experience supporting deployed robotic fleets.
- Experience working in Agile development environments.
- Experience working with Zephyr RTOS & OpenWRT
Pay Range
The pay range for this position is between $0.00 – $0.00*
Work Location
Remote/virtual – Associates in remote roles have the flexibility to complete their job responsibilities primarily from home. Depending on the position, a remote role may be entirely virtual, or it may require living within a commutable distance of an assigned company office to support occasional, in-person responsibilities.
Building Location
8820
411 Waverley Oaks Road
Waltham, MA
Once you’ve applied, please come back and apply for other jobs at this store and any store near you.
Online Assessments
As part of our application process for this role, there is an online assessment that you will need to complete. You’ll be directed to the link to start the assessment immediately after submitting your application. Once you click on the assessment link, you’ll have 96 hours to complete it. You may stop and restart the assessment as many times as needed during your 96-hour time frame. The assessment should only take about 20 minutes to complete.
During the assessment, we’ll ask you questions about how you approach work and various other work-related situations. The questions are based on characteristics that are related to performing successfully in hourly roles at The Home Depot, including: how you work as part of a team; whether you are responsible, dependable and thorough; and your ability to learn new skills. For Store/Merchandising roles we will ask a few additional questions around how you help customers and drive sales.
If you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation related to the assessment, or you would like to obtain more information about the assessment, click here.
Benefits
Parental Leave
Paid parental leave to bond with your new addition
Profit-Sharing Bonuses
Merit increases and performance bonuses
Employee Stock Purchase Program
Home Depot stock at a 15% discount through payroll deductions
Retirement Plans
401(k) savings plan with company matching
Health & Wellness
Medical, dental, vision insurance plans and more
Tuition Reimbursement
Tuition reimbursement, scholarships, and discounted tuition rates
Paid Time Off Benefits
Salaried associates are eligible for 2 weeks of vacation in their first year. FT hourly will be eligible for 40 hours of paid vacation time after 6 months of continuous service. For positions in Washington State, Spokane, and Tacoma only: Salary and Temporary associates will earn 1 hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked; FT associates will earn 1 hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked or 4 hours per month, whichever is greater. For positions in Seattle only: Salary and Temporary associates will earn 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked; FT associates will earn 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked or 4 hours per month, whichever is greater.
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