SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
fab2 is an early-stage hardware startup founded by Sam Zeloof and Jim Keller, building semiconductor manufacturing equipment and the control software/firmware needed to operate it. The company has solid funding, world-class advisors, and operates labs/offices in Austin, Lockhart (TX), and San Francisco.
The Embedded Software Lead for Vacuum Systems will manage a team of firmware engineers and own the software architecture for fab2's deposition and etching tools, from prototyping through production. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will drive technical direction and implement real-time control software for critical semiconductor process equipment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own firmware architecture and roadmap for deposition and etch tools and their subsystems: mass flow controllers, pumps, pressure controllers, valve manifolds, heaters, and gas delivery systems
- Design and implement real-time control algorithms for temperature regulation, valve sequencing, RF plasma sources, and other semiconductor process equipment
- Write and review production firmware in C and Rust; develop Python tooling and test infrastructure
- Lead FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) for firmware and firmware-adjacent failure modes; design interlocks and watchdogs; conduct root-cause analysis on field and test failures
- Partner with electronic hardware engineering on board bring-up, schematic review, sensor and driver selection, and design-for-firmware considerations
- Partner with the vacuum hardware team on control requirements, actuator characterization, and system integration
- Collaborate with manufacturing to enable hardware device testing and calibration
- Build and maintain hardware-in-the-loop and bench test infrastructure for firmware validation
- Uphold code and testing standards through feedback and code review
- Hire and mentor team members
Required Experience:
- BS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
- 7+ years developing microcontroller firmware for electromechanical devices in shipped products
- 2+ years leading or managing firmware engineers
- Deep background in real-time controls with experience implementing sensing, timing-critical control loops, diagnostics, and communication interfaces
- Proficiency in C for embedded targets; Python for tooling and analysis
- Experience with a real-time operating system and standard MCU interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN)
- Working knowledge of electronics: reading schematics, board bring-up, using oscilloscopes and logic analyzers
- FMEA experience for electromechanical devices, with a track record of incorporating results into firmware design
- Demonstrated collaboration with hardware and manufacturing teams through design, integration, and production
Nice-to-have:
- Background in semiconductor equipment, vacuum systems, gas handling, or scientific instrumentation
- Experience with mass flow controllers, vacuum pumps, pressure control, or thermal control firmware
- Experience with functional or equipment safety practices (IEC 61508, SEMI S2, or similar)
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure and continuous integration for firmware
- Experience with Rust on embedded targets
- Experience taking a product from prototype through production
