Senior Software Engineer, Device OS

Apkudo is a company focused on custom hardware appliances and software platforms. They are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join their Device OS team, responsible for designing and maintaining Python-based software systems that interface with hardware and third-party devices, while also mentoring team engineers and influencing architectural decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain Python-based software systems that interface directly with custom hardware platforms and third-party devices
• Author and own hardware drivers and communication layers across a range of protocols (serial, USB, Ethernet, GPIO, and others as needed)
• Architect and implement comprehensive, maintainable state machines that govern device workflows, ensuring correctness, observability, and graceful failure handling
• Write asynchronous, event-driven code that keeps hardware interactions responsive and non-blocking across concurrent device pipelines
• Build and maintain RESTful APIs that expose device data and control surfaces to internal services and partner integrations
• Work with SQL databases to persist device state, telemetry, and operational metrics reliably
• Contribute computer vision capabilities where they intersect with device inspection, identification, or automation workflows
• Collaborate cross-functionally with hardware engineers, firmware teams, product managers, and field operations to deliver complete, field-ready features
• Conduct thorough code reviews, write technical design documents, and raise the engineering bar across the team

Requirements:

• Fluency in software engineering fundamentals — clean code, testability, version control, and code review — demonstrated through a track record of shipping production systems
• Strong, hands-on Python experience (5+ years) as a primary production language
• Proven experience writing hardware drivers and interfacing over communication protocols (e.g., serial/UART, USB, I2C, SPI, Modbus, or similar)
• Demonstrable ability to design and implement maintainable, comprehensive state machines for complex device or workflow control
• Solid familiarity with async programming patterns (asyncio, event loops, coroutines) in Python or equivalent environments
• Backend/RESTful API design and implementation experience — you have built APIs others depend on
• Working knowledge of SQL; the ability to design sensible schemas, write efficient queries, and reason about data integrity
• Some exposure to computer vision — whether through OpenCV, ML-based pipelines, or image processing workflows
• A demonstrable appetite for working with hardware: hands-on electronics or embedded experience, a relevant university project, or equivalent self-directed work that shows you understand the basics of electronics, signal flow, and hardware constraints
• BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field — relevant experience may substitute for or augment formal education
• Strong technical communication skills and the ability to translate between hardware realities and software abstractions
• Experience with warehouse or logistics automation environments
• Familiarity with Linux system administration, systemd services, or embedded Linux
• Exposure to AWS IoT, Greengrass, or similar edge-cloud frameworks
• Prior experience contributing to a platform product serving multiple enterprise customers