Overview

About RBR
Since 1973, RBR has been designing and manufacturing oceanographic instruments in Ottawa, Ontario to measure our blue planet. The effects of climate change are being seen from the ocean’s abyss to the polar ice caps and our sensors quantify this change to support better analysis, improved planning, and more effective mitigation strategies. Our instruments measure water parameters in some of the harshest environments on the planet! They are mounted on underwater drones, dropped out of planes, and sent to the bottom of the ocean – sometimes for years at a time – all in an effort to get precise and accurate data to support climate research! We have been fortunate to be able to partner with some of the world’s leaders in the field of ocean science, like Fisheries and Oceans Canada, The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Norwegian Polar Institute, and The British Antarctic Survey, just to name a few!

At RBR, our people care about the environment, our community, their work, and – of course – each other! We value curiosity, experimentation, and doing the right thing, and while we do some serious work to support world-changing science, we don’t take ourselves too seriously – we like to let our hair down and cut loose too! Our Ottawa team recently moved our HQ to a new space that includes large meeting spaces to encourage collaboration, a sweet snack room, a large and modern lunch area, and even a fish tank!

 

About the Role
As the Firmware Manager at RBR, you will have the opportunity to work with an awesome group of R&D gurus in the areas of firmware, electronics, mechanical, software, systems and sensor engineering along with oceanographers. As the leader of a small team of technical experts, you must be dedicated, an effective communicator, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. As the manager of our embedded firmware team, you will need to be a hands-on problem solver who has the ability to work independently, take responsibility, and produce high-quality software.

 

What You’ll Do:

  • Define and support the design and development of embedded firmware applications
  • Implement and adhere to software development methodologies
  • Implement and maintain software versioning and revision control
  • Analyze trade-offs in the system design to meet conflicting requirements
  • Own and drive the execution end to end while maintaining schedule compliance
  • Keep abreast of industry changes in software engineering technologies, processes and disciplines
  • Translate design specifications into system designs and implementation, participate in design and code reviews
  • Contribute your expertise to overall software design architecture and feature design
  • Work with hardware and software groups to translate requirements into working designs
  • Participate in concept development for new products and projects
  • Focus on the management of the technical aspects of the work/projects
  • Provide direction, instruction, and guidance to the team
  • Be accountable for the overall firmware projects and technical performance of the firmware team
  • Provide input into the development, evaluation, and goal-setting of the team/individuals
  • Organize technical training and coach the team for career development and progression
  • Schedule work assignments and projects

 

What You Bring:

  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Experience working in an Agile/Scrum development process
  • 10+ years of low-level C firmware work experience in the following disciplines
  • Developing software in C and assembly
  • Troubleshooting and debugging using JTAG tools, IDE, logic analyzer and oscilloscope
  • Interfaces such as RS232, SPI, I2C, USB and WiFi
  • Low power micro-controllers, ARM Cortex and MSP430 preferred
  • Coding for a pre-emptive RTOS for micro-controllers such as FreeRTOS
  • 4+ years of experience managing high performing engineering teams
  • Ability to multi-task and work in a cross-functional team
  • Operate well in a high-paced, innovative work environment
  • Well versed in helping others push past their own boundaries
  • Extensive knowledge of embedded development best practices and tools
  • Creative problem solver who is not afraid to push not only their own boundaries but the teams as well

 

Nice to Haves:

  • The ability to read, understand, and annotate electronic schematics including digital, mixed-signal, and analog devices
  • Experience developing high performance, low power battery operated equipment
  • Experience developing calibrated scientific sensors
  • Experience with Atlassian Confluence and Jira environments for documentation and task management

 

Why Join RBR? 

  • The ability to make an impact and support climate research
    • Electric vehicle incentive of up to $10,000 – plus on-site charging stations
    • Greener commuting incentive program
    • Charitable donation matching of up to $1,000 annually to charities of your choosing
  • A wide range of employee well-being initiatives $200 annual fitness reimbursement program
    • Work from wherever Wednesdays
    • Friday lunches (on us)!
    • Corporate fitness membership program
    • Employee recognition program
    • Employee Assistance Program
  • Competitive vacation, pay, and benefits
    • 20 days of annual vacation, plus time off between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
    • Immediate comprehensive benefits plan (medical, dental, etc.)
    • Competitive market salary
    • RRSP contribution matching
    • Referral program for new hires

 

At RBR we celebrate and support diversity in our workplace, we are an equal-opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We seek to recruit the best and most talented people for the job, period. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.