Firmware Development Engineer

The job

LIVE Employer public job feed (private-sector employer) Source: the employer's public careers feed · Data: listed 2026-10-30

Job description

Company Overview

Kairos Power is a new nuclear energy technology and engineering company whose mission is to enable the world’s transition to clean energy, with the ultimate goal to dramatically improve people’s quality of life while protecting the environment. This goal will be accomplished through the commercialization of the fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) that can be deployed with robust safety, affordable costs, and flexible operation to accommodate the expansion of variable renewables.

Job Summary

Kairos Power is looking for an entry-level firmware engineer to join the Plant Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) systems design team. Working under the technical guidance of the Reactor Protection System (RPS) Lead Engineer and experienced team members, this person will develop, test, and document firmware for reactor protection and related plant systems supporting the KP-FHR reactor technology. The role provides hands-on experience with embedded systems, hardware integration, and disciplined development practices for safety-related applications.

Primary Responsibilities

The person will work with an integrated design team to perform the following duties:

• Support firmware development for plant instrumentation and control systems, including:
  1. Safety-related reactor protection systems, including signal acquisition, protection logic, diagnostics, and equipment interfaces.
  2. Related plant investment protection and non-safety control or test systems, as required.
• Implement and debug embedded firmware in C/C++ and support FPGA logic development, as applicable to the selected platform, using approved requirements, designs, and coding practices.
• Assist with firmware requirements, interface definitions, design descriptions, and traceability between requirements, implementation, and verification evidence.
• Develop and execute unit, integration, and regression tests; record results, investigate anomalies, and support independent verification and validation activities.
• Support laboratory hardware bring-up and firmware integration using schematics, component datasheets, debuggers, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers under appropriate supervision.
• Use version control, configuration management, code reviews, and change control to maintain reproducible builds and documented firmware releases.
• Collaborate with hardware, controls, systems, and test engineers to resolve interface issues and support system testing and commissioning activities as assigned.
• Learn and follow applicable nuclear quality assurance, software lifecycle, and cybersecurity procedures; promptly raise technical concerns and incorporate review feedback.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Entry-level position suitable for recent graduates or candidates with 0–2 years of relevant experience. Coursework, laboratory work, capstone projects, internships, and personal projects are acceptable; prior nuclear industry experience is not required.
• Foundational programming skills in C or C++, with experience developing and debugging software for a microcontroller, embedded processor, or comparable project platform.
• Understanding of digital logic and basic embedded concepts such as memory, interrupts, timers, state machines, and real-time behavior.
• Ability to read technical documentation and basic schematics, troubleshoot methodically, and document designs, test results, and issues clearly.
• Familiarity with version control, such as Git, and basic software testing practices; willingness to work within a documented engineering development process.
• Strong attention to detail, clear communication, and an ability to work collaboratively, ask questions, and learn from technical reviews.
• Preferred exposure through coursework or projects to VHDL/Verilog and FPGA tools, Python test automation, laboratory instruments, or interfaces such as SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Interest in nuclear energy and safety-critical engineering. Familiarity with requirements traceability, verification and validation, or quality assurance is a plus.

The salary range for this position is $92,454 to $108,769 for employees working onsite at our Alameda, CA headquarters. The range provided in this job posting represents the typical range or starting rate of candidates hired in California. Factors that maybe used to determine your actual salary may include your education, experience, knowledge, skills, ability and the market data for your work location, and a comparison to other employees already in the role. 

#LI-Hybrid

About our Benefits

We know that we have some of the most talented and dedicated employees, and we believe in rewarding them accordingly. If you work here, full-time employees (excludes interns) expect to have access to the benefits below:

• Competitive compensation packages
• Medical, dental and vision benefits for employees and their dependents
• Paid Vacation
• 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, dependent care, and commuter benefits (FSA)

Kairos Power is committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities where we do business. Kairos Power is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We actively welcome people of different experiences, abilities, and perspectives.

Kairos Power participates in E-Verify.

Candidates only, no recruiters or agencies please.

Note: You are applying for a position that is located in a facility that handles information that is subject to export control restrictions by the Department of Energy under 10 CFR Part 810. To work in this facility, you need to be authorized by the Department of Energy to access Part 810-controlled information. Foreign nationals who are citizens of countries that are not on the Department of Energy’s general authorization list (link below) are not permitted to work in our facility unless the Department of Energy issues an export control license to the company to permit that individual to have access to Part 810-controlled information. The following questions are intended to determine the licensing requirements that may apply. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/10/appendix-A_to_part_810

Explore around this job

Field: Technology Sub-niche: Software engineering All jobs at Kairos Power Jobs in California Jobs in Alameda, CA Alameda city guide California state guide Alameda County economy

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About the role

This is a — role in the Technology field (Software engineering) at Kairos Power.

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How to prepare and behave

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• Read the whole description and match your examples to its requirements; use the same words the posting uses where they are true for you.
• Research the employer before the interview: what it does, who its customers are and recent news; prepare two or three questions about the work.
• Arrive early (or log in early for a video call), dress one step above the daily dress code, and test your camera and audio beforehand.
• Answer with short stories: the situation, what you did and the result. Give numbers when you have them and never invent them.
• Be honest about gaps; say what you did to learn and how fast you can close them.
• Ask about the team, the first 90 days, how success is measured and the schedule; do not open with salary and time off.
• When pay comes up, know the market range for the occupation and your lowest acceptable offer before you answer; ask for the full package in writing.
• Send a short thank-you message within a day, mentioning one thing you discussed.
• Have code, data work or projects you can show, and be ready to think aloud: many technical interviews test how you reason, not only the answer.

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• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: prohibited employment practices
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The city

The job is in Alameda, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.

How Alameda compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, Alameda is #116 by population, #14 for remote work (#1 = most), #24 for college degrees (#1 = most), #118 for long commutes (#1 = fewest). Its county, Alameda County, is #4 of 58 counties for average pay ($98,026).

The place in numbers

Alameda has 77,238 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of California. It covers 10 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 7,427 people per square mile. The median age is 41.0, 8% older than the state median (41.0 against 37.9).

Housing

The median gross rent is $2,474 a month (rent plus utilities), 22% above the state median ($2,474 against $2,036). Over a year that is 21.6% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $1,235,700, which is 9.0 times the median household income ($137,697); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 50.7% of households own their home, 9% below the state average (50.7% against 55.9%).

Work and pay

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area has 2,373,920 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $74,260 a year, 46% above the national median ($74,260 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (226,320 jobs, median $62,120); management (223,100 jobs, median $176,340); business and financial operations (207,030 jobs, median $112,960). The area is most specialised in computer and mathematical (1.9 times) and life, physical, and social science (1.8 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($176,340) and computer and mathematical ($167,770). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Alameda County was 4.7%. 66.0% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Alameda County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.

Getting around

Among workers, 44.2% drive alone, 10.0% use public transit, 3.1% walk, 32.7% work from home. 27.3% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 41% above the state average (27.3% against 19.4%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.

People and education

61.5% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 66% above the state share (61.5% against 37.1%). 25.7% of residents were born outside the United States, 5% below the state share (25.7% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 7.2%, 40% below the state rate (7.2% against 12.0%).

Climate

The warmest month is Sep, averaging 61°F (16.0°C), and the coolest is Jan at 51°F (10.7°C). About 515 mm (20 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (115 mm) and Jul the driest (2 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.

Nearby cities to compare

Closest cities in this guide: Oakland (3 miles, rent 20% lower); San Leandro (6 miles, rent 12% lower); Brisbane (8 miles, rent 4% higher); South San Francisco (9 miles, rent 13% higher). Rent differences are against Alameda; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.

Full guide to Alameda →California guideAll jobs in Alameda

Official links for Alameda

• Official website of Alameda: alamedaca.gov
• Census Bureau data profile for Alameda
• Official website of Alameda County: acgov.org
• Official state website: ca.gov
• BLS Economy at a Glance: California

These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.

Where to live

CITY Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Places within 50 miles (straight line) of Alameda, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. No pay estimate is shown because the title did not match one occupation.

Career paths

We could not match this title to one occupation, so here are the other sub-niches in Technology, where your skills may carry over:

Cybersecurity (713) Data, analytics and AI (3366) Cloud, IT and infrastructure (1040) Product management (836)

Distances

CITY Calculation (straight line) Source: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (coordinates) · Data: 2024

How far Alameda, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.

Nearby cities with open jobs (within 120 miles)

The employer

Kairos Power is the employer in this listing. See all its open jobs here →

We do not hold headcount or revenue for this employer. Check its careers site and, if it is listed on a stock exchange, its public filings (SEC EDGAR search).

What it is like to work at a company (culture, schedules, benefits) is not in the source data, so we do not describe it. Read the description and ask the questions under "How to prepare".

Other open jobs at Kairos Power

Similar jobs

Same sub-niche: Software engineering

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FAQ

What is the Firmware Development Engineer job at Kairos Power?

A private-sector role in technology (software engineering) listed 10 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.

Where is this job?

Alameda, CA.

How do I apply?

Use the "View this job and apply on the employer's page" button. AtiveSite does not receive applications.

How much does it pay?

The listing does not publish pay, and we could not match the title to one official occupation.

What is the cost of living there?

Median rent in Alameda is $2,474 a month and median household income $137,697 (ACS 2020–2024).

How old is this listing?

It was posted on 2026-10-30 (10 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.

Are there similar jobs?

Yes: browse software engineering jobs in California.

Sources and terms

• Job data: Kairos Power careers page public feed (listing dated 2026-10-30). The job disappears from this site when it disappears from the source.
• Wages and projections: BLS OEWS (May 2025) and Employment Projections 2025–35.
• City and county figures: Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, BEA, BLS QCEW and LAUS, NASA POWER climatology; distances from Census Gazetteer coordinates.

AtiveSite is not affiliated with or endorsed by the employer or any government agency, and does not process applications. Verify every detail with the employer before acting.

Sources

• BLS OEWS (wages and employment by occupation, May 2025)
• BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
• BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
• BLS JOLTS
• BLS State and Metro Area Employment
• Census Bureau American Community Survey (via Census Reporter)
• BEA GDP by state and Regional Price Parities
• IRS 2026 tax adjustments
• U.S. Department of Labor, minimum wage by state
• Tax Foundation state income tax rates 2026
• USAJOBS
• USCIS
• U.S. Department of State, visas
• NASA POWER climatology
• GeoNames / Census Gazetteer (coordinates)