The embedded systems market is projected to grow from 91.3 billion in 2022 to 173.4 billion by 2032. If your company works in this industry, your need for embedded systems engineers will also increase. But what exactly do these engineers do, and how do you find the right ones for your company?
In this article, we will answer these questions and more so you know exactly what this role entails to make the right decision for your hiring needs.
What is an Embedded Systems Engineer?
Embedded systems engineers design, implement, test, and maintain embedded systems, which are a combination of software and computer hardware built together for a specific task.
Often, these specialized engineers are confused with software engineers.
Software engineers primarily focus on only software applications like mobile apps, websites, and SAAS products. In contrast, embedded systems engineers are expected to understand the relationship between the software and hardware components of physical products such as digital cameras, pacemakers, and robots.
Do You Need an Embedded Systems Engineer?
If your product involves hardware with software needs, then hiring an embedded systems engineer would help you create and manage your product. A solitary software engineer may have in-depth knowledge of application development, but they will often lack the hardware skills needed to understand how the software and hardware interact and what to do if issues occur. That’s why hiring an embedded systems engineer with knowledge in both fields will resolve this gap.
Embedded Systems Engineer Job Description
Writing a good job description includes defining the role and responsibilities, detailing the minimum qualifications, and describing the company culture. Here are some things to consider if writing an embedded systems engineer job description.
Role and Responsibilities
Embedded systems engineers are in charge of an embedded system’s entire lifecycle, ensuring it is created and maintained correctly to serve its purpose. This role also includes:
- Holding design meetings
- Understanding business needs
- Maintaining a level of code quality
- Testing thoroughly
Skills and Qualifications
When hiring an embedded systems engineer, you need to decide on their minimum requirements. This includes hard skills, soft skills, and professional qualifications.
Hard skills:
- Ability to code in languages such as C or C++
- Problem-solving and logic skills
- Understanding of current technologies (code version control options like Git or cloud infrastructures like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.)
Soft skills:
- Communicates technically difficult concepts in simple and understandable ways
- Manages time well and meets deadlines
- Works well within teams
- Learns quickly and manages multiple priorities at once
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, embedded systems engineering, or a related field
- Experience in architecture design
- Experience working with hardware/firmware
- Able to test and debug software
Salaries
Salary ranges highly depend on location and experience level. Glassdoor calculates across all levels and industries that embedded systems engineers earn an average annual base compensation of $128,699.
Interview Questions
Typically, the interview process for hiring embedded systems engineers involves asking questions to assess candidates on both their hard skills and their soft skills.
To evaluate technical skills, ask questions on:
- Hardware development
- Operating systems
- Programming design principles
- System design
- Live problem-solving questions based on code, concept, or a combination of both
Read: 20 Systems Engineer Interview Questions to Ask Candidates
This could also include an in-depth conversation about a technical problem they solved in a previous work environment to see if they understand the technologies and best practices.
To evaluate soft skills, ask behavioral interview questions related to candidates’ ability to work with teams, resolve interpersonal conflict, and change priorities.
How to Hire an Embedded Systems Engineer
At Insight Global, we’ve connected the best talent to the right roles for companies of all sizes, in all industries, including both Information Technology (IT) and chips and semiconductors. We have access to a pool of skilled embedded systems engineers who are ready for their next assignment.
We find, review, interview, and help you hire candidates based on your needs, having placed more than 50,000 hires in roles just last year. Contact us to help you get the talent you need.