Firmware Manager

As Firmware Manager at Zebra Technologies’ Chicago headquarters, you will lead a team of 8–12 embedded engineers responsible for the firmware powering Zebra’s enterprise mobile computers, handheld scanners, and IoT edge gateway devices. You will set technical direction across bare-metal FreeRTOS applications and embedded Linux platforms, drive architecture decisions for wireless connectivity stacks (Bluetooth LE, WiFi), and oversee the full development lifecycle from requirements through production release. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will review code, unblock technical challenges, and shape the team’s roadmap in alignment with product management and hardware engineering.

Your day-to-day will balance people management (career development, hiring, performance reviews) with technical contributions to the most complex firmware initiatives. You will establish best practices for real-time task scheduling, power management, secure boot, and over-the-air update infrastructure across Zebra’s hardware portfolio. Collaboration with peer teams in IoT platform software, cloud services, and QA is essential. Candidates should have 8+ years of embedded development experience with at least 3 years in a technical leadership or management capacity, deep expertise in ARM MCUs and connectivity protocols, and a track record of shipping production firmware at scale.

Zebra’s Chicago office operates on a hybrid schedule (Tuesday–Thursday in office) and sits in the West Loop, easily accessible by public transit. The compensation package includes base salary, annual performance bonus, equity grants, and a comprehensive benefits suite. This is an opportunity to lead firmware for devices used by Fortune 500 logistics, retail, and healthcare organizations to run their critical operations.

• Health / dental / vision
• 401k with match
• Annual bonus
• Stock grants
• Tuition reimbursement