Lead Software Engineer (Embedded & Cloud)

Arcticar is a company focused on revolutionizing cold-chain logistics with innovative electric transport refrigeration systems. The Lead Software Engineer will be a founding member responsible for defining the software architecture, developing embedded control, and ensuring secure cloud connectivity for their products.

Responsibilities:

• As Lead Software Engineer, you'll be a founding member of the Arcticar team, playing a pivotal role in defining the software architecture that powers our electric transport refrigeration systems
• Reporting to the Head of Engineering, you'll be responsible for taking the software platform from concept through production, delivering reliable embedded control, secure cloud connectivity, intuitive user experiences, and robust fleet management capabilities
• Working closely with hardware, systems, and product teams, you'll develop the software that enables our first prototypes, supports field pilots, and scales into commercial deployment
• You'll make key architectural decisions, determine when to develop capabilities in-house versus leveraging third-party technologies or development partners, and establish the software foundation for future products
• AI-enabled development workflows are central to how we operate, and we're looking for someone excited to use modern engineering tools to deliver exceptional products faster and more effectively while remaining deeply hands-on throughout the product lifecycle
• This is a unique opportunity to own automating and controlling the cold chain, and to shape our technology, engineering practices, and product direction from the ground up
• From silicon to the cloud, you will own the design and implementation of software across the entire product stack from embedded Linux and real-time control to cloud infrastructure, connected services, and user applications
• Architecture and implementation of system state machines, fault handling, diagnostics, telemetry, and configuration management
• Communication interfaces including CAN, UART, USB, SDMMC, SPI, LIN, and related protocols
• Connectivity integration including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular modems, and GPS
• Driver development for power management, sensing, and communication ICs
• Motor control applications including 3-phase control, resolver interfaces, and current sensing
• Hardware control and monitoring via ADCs, timers, GPIO, and signal conditioning/filtering
• Development and implementation ownership of user-facing web portal and mobile application backend services
• API development for communication between cloud services, users, and deployed units
• Firmware update and change management infrastructure (OTA deployment, versioning, rollout control)
• System administration layer including permissions, configuration management, and provisioning
• Database architecture, including schema design, table management, and data modeling
• Design and maintenance of cloud data storage systems supporting backend services and serverless compute architectures
• Development and optimization of transactional and analytical data models to support operational workflows and business intelligence

Requirements:

• 8+ years of software development experience, with significant hands-on experience in embedded systems and connected cloud applications
• Ability to both implement as an individual contributor as well as lead internal and external teams
• A proven track record of taking embedded or IoT products from concept through prototype, field validation, and commercial deployment
• Strong experience developing embedded software on Linux and real-time platforms, including hardware interfaces, communications, diagnostics, and system architecture
• Experience designing and developing cloud-based applications and services, including APIs, data management, device provisioning, fleet connectivity, and over-the-air (OTA) software updates
• Demonstrated ability to define software architecture and make pragmatic technical decisions, balancing performance, reliability, maintainability, security, and time-to-market
• Experience working with third-party software vendors, contractors, or open-source technologies, with the judgment to determine when to build versus leverage existing solutions
• Fluency with modern AI-assisted software development workflows and enthusiasm for using these tools to deliver higher-quality software with greater speed and efficiency
• Comfortable in the ambiguity, pace, and hands-on nature of a founding engineering team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong collaboration skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving priorities and broad responsibilities
• Existing U.S. work authorization is a must; Visa sponsorship not provided
• Experience with electric vehicles, commercial vehicles, refrigeration, HVAC, industrial controls, motor control, connected IoT products or equivalent is a plus, but not required