Director of Firmware Engineering, Cameras

Who We Are Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, AI-powered platform. A leader in cloud physical security, Verkada helps organizations strengthen safety and efficiency through one connected software platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management. Over 30,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 100+ companies in the Fortune 500, trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. Founded in 2016, Verkada has expanded rapidly with 15 offices and 2,200+ full-time employees. About the Role The Cameras team is the cornerstone of Verkada's product ecosystem. We are looking for a Director of Firmware Engineering to lead the embedded software organization behind our flagship camera line. In this role, you will oversee multiple specialized firmware groups, driving the development of highly reliable, performant, and secure firmware deployed to hundreds of thousands of devices worldwide. You will manage and mentor a team of engineering managers and senior individual contributors, partnering closely with Hardware, Cloud, Product, and QA teams to define the roadmap and deliver cutting-edge edge-computing and imaging capabilities. What You’ll Do Partner on New Product Development (NPI): Work side-by-side with the Hardware and Electrical Engineering teams from the conceptual phase through mass production. You will co-design system architectures, evaluate new silicon (SoCs, sensors), provide early firmware requirements for board designs, and ensure seamless hardware-software integration for our next generation of cameras. Oversee Core Camera Firmware: the group responsible for the foundation of our camera OS. This includes driving new hardware bring-up, porting vendor SDKs, developing low-level drivers, and managing robust Over-The-Air (OTA) firmware update mechanisms. Oversee Camera Imaging Systems: the team dedicated to maximizing image quality. They guide efforts in Image Signal Processor (ISP) tuning, sensor integration, and optimizing the end-to-end imaging and video encoding pipeline. Drive Firmware Delivery Quality: Champion the group responsible for deploying new firmware releases at a massive scale. You will oversee the development of release tooling, refine deployment processes, establish CI/CD best practices, and closely monitor fleet health metrics to ensure exceptional reliability. Scale and Mentor the Team: Recruit, hire, and mentor exceptional firmware engineers and engineering managers. Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and cross-functional collaboration. What You’ll Need BS or MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field. 8+ years of hands-on embedded software or firmware engineering experience, with a proven track record of shipping high-volume consumer or enterprise hardware products. 4+ years of engineering management experience, including experience managing other managers and leading organizations of 15+ engineers. Technical expertise with Linux and C for embedded systems. Experience with ISP tuning and image processing pipelines is highly preferred. Strong understanding of modern software delivery practices, including CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and fleet-wide release management. Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical decisions into business impact for executive stakeholders. Prefer familiarity with modern camera architectures, and camera SoCs (e.g., Ambarella, Qualcomm, or similar). US Employee Benefits Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources. Our benefits and perks programs include, b ... (truncated, view full listing at source)