Principal Software Engineer

About Doodle Labs

Doodle Labs is a fast-growing technology company at the forefront of robotics and defense innovation. We build mission-critical communication systems that enable autonomous systems to operate in challenging environments. Our solutions are deployed worldwide in defense, industrial, and commercial applications, providing robust connectivity in demanding conditions.

We are seeking a highly motivated Staff/Principal Embedded Software Engineer to join our talented team of software, hardware and RF engineers in the development of cutting-edge wireless products.

About the job

The candidate will be responsible to lead development of OpenWrt-based firmware for our next-generation wireless routers. You will be the technical authority across the OpenWrt stack—bootloaders, kernel, drivers, networking, security, and system services—while setting architecture direction, mentoring engineers, and delivering production-grade firmware at scale.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role driving roadmap, quality, and performance for devices used in safety- and mission-critical deployments.

What You’ll Do

Architecture & Ownership

• Own the end-to-end OpenWrt platform: kernel, drivers, mac80211/cfg80211, hostapd/wpa_supplicant, UCI, init/system services, CI/CD, production and release tooling.

• Define technical strategy for Wi Fi 6/6E/7 and multi-radio, multi-band products (AP/STA/mesh), including roaming/fast transition (802.11r/k/v) and advanced QoS.

• Lead the abstraction of hardware capabilities for performance and power efficiency.

Platform Development

• Build and maintain code packages for Qualcomm/Atheros SoCs, including device tree, board bring-up, flash partitions, bootloaders (U Boot), and factory calibration flows.

• Develop and optimize wireless features: channel and power management, DFS, ACS, MLO (for Wi Fi 7), and multi-link optimizations where applicable.

• Implement robust security baselines: secure boot, firmware signing, key storage, sandboxing, MAC hardening, and reproducible builds.

Networking & System

• Implement routing/firewall features (policy routing, VRF, VLANs, bridge/DSA, IPv4/IPv6, NAT, WireGuard/IPsec).

• Build observability/telemetry: structured logging, metrics, tracing, remote diagnostics, crash triage, and safe recovery.

• Own OTA update strategy: A/B updates, rollback, delta packages, device identity & provisioning, staged rollouts, and SBOM generation.

Quality & Delivery

• Establish CI/CD for OpenWrt (reproducible builds, artifact signing, incremental SDKs, containerized toolchains).

• Define test strategies: HIL rigs, RF test automation, throughput/latency/jitter benchmarks, roaming, soak tests, and regression suites.

• Drive regulatory & compliance readiness (FCC/CE/RED/DFS), EMI/RF validation workflows with the RF/HW teams.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Mentor a team of firmware and networking engineers; set coding standards and review culture.

• Collaborate with RF, Hardware, Product, QA, and Manufacturing to ensure reliable factory provisioning, calibration, and field reliability.

• Engage with customers on critical escalations and guide field debug.

• Contribute to upstream where strategic and maintain internal forks responsibly.

Qualifications

Must Have

• 10+ years in embedded Linux, with 6+ years hands on OpenWrt (Buildroot-like build system, feeds, SDK, UCI, procd, ubus/ubox).

• Deep expertise in Linux networking (netfilter/nftables, qdisc/tc, DSA, bridging, VLAN, IPv4, IPv6, DHCP, DNS).

• Strong background in 802.11 (mac80211/cfg80211, hostapd/wpa_supplicant) and Wi Fi feature development (roaming, mesh/802.11s, WPA2/3 SAE).

• Kernel and driver experience (device tree, interrupts, DMA, memory management, power management).

• Proven delivery of production firmware for Qualcomm/Atheros SoCs.

• Proficiency in C, shell, and Python; comfort with Git, Gerrit, and code review at scale.

• Track record of leading complex programs and mentoring senior engineers.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Wi Fi 6E/7, MLO, MU MIMO, OFDMA tuning, DFS certifications, and region specific regulatory profiles.

• Hardware acceleration paths (e.g., NSS, NSS ECM, Packet Steering/RPS/XPS, NSS crypto).

• Security: Secure boot/TrustZone, FIPS, TPM, measured boot, SBOM, CVE triage, and patch pipelines.

• Contribution history to OpenWrt, Linux kernel, hostapd, wpa_supplicant, or related OSS.

What You’ll Work On in the First 6–12 Months

• Establish and stabilize a production-grade OpenWrt software baseline across Doodle Labs wireless router platforms, including build system structure, feeds, and long-term maintenance strategy.

• Lead development of core OpenWrt system components: kernel configuration, device trees, board support packages (BSPs), networking stack, wireless configuration, and system services.

• Drive performance tuning and reliability hardening for wireless routing use cases, including CPU/memory optimization, wireless stability, and long-duration uptime.

• Define and document coding standards, branching strategy, and release workflows for OpenWrt firmware development.

• Design and implement a scalable CI/CD pipeline for OpenWrt firmware:

• Integrate automated testing into CI (unit, integration, system-level, and smoke tests) to catch regressions early.

• Improve build times, developer productivity, and visibility through enhanced tooling, dashboards, and failure triage processes.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation with performance bonus

• Health and wellness coverage

• Flexible work arrangements

• Learning budget and conference sponsorship

Equal Opportunity

Doodle Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.