We place embedded, firmware, FPGA, PLC, SCADA, and BESS engineers who have shipped hardware that cannot fail. Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.
Most teams discover too late that they hired for interviews, not reality. We deliberately break candidates in controlled ways before your business does it for real.
Call us to evaluate the risk properly.
Book a CallRunTime helps engineering teams avoid bad hires in complex, real world systems.
We don't skim resumes. We interrogate competence. Our screening is grounded in how systems actually fail.
There are no interchangeable engineers. We align to your system, your risk profile, and your delivery pressure.
We don't flood you with CVs. We apply targeted outreach, referrals, and a curated database.
We challenge job specs, pressure test candidates, and manage interviews with intent.
| Phase | What Happens | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Kick off | Stakeholder briefing. Lock down job spec. Agree KPIs, timelines, and contacts. | Aligns everyone on goals and process, prevents scope creep later. |
| Market Research | Analyse competitors and tech stacks. Map market trends. | Sharpens the pitch so we attract exactly the right talent. |
| Candidate Sourcing | Search databases and inbound lists. Leverage networks, social channels, and referrals. | Builds a quality funnel with no resume blasts. |
| Shortlisting | Technical interviews. Skills tests. | Saves you time, only the top three candidates move forward. |
| Presentation and Interviews | Present endorsed candidates. Schedule interviews. Debrief both sides after each round. | Maintains momentum and candidate engagement throughout. |
| Offer Management | Reference checks. Draft and present offer. Confirm commitment level. | Reduces last minute surprises and renegotiations. |
| Post Hire Support | Regular check ins with client and new hire. Assist onboarding. | Protects your investment and boosts retention. |
RunTime Recruitment
57 Google reviews
Payam Samavati
July 28, 2025
Had a great experience with Runtime. A big thank you to Aldwin, who was incredibly helpful, professional, and supportive throughout the whole process. Highly recommend!
Peter Tan
June 29, 2025
Lance proactively secured my opportunity and made the hiring process smooth with his professionalism, clear communication, and genuine support throughout. Highly recommend RunTime Recruitment.
Davey Tober
February 14, 2025
I had a great experience working with both Simon and Lance at Runtime. They were responsive, diligent, and took the time to truly understand my background and career goals.
Michael Chen
January 10, 2025
RunTime found me a senior firmware role in two weeks. Lance understood exactly what I was looking for technically and only sent me roles that were a genuine fit. No keyword matching nonsense.
Sarah Williams
December 5, 2024
As a hiring manager, RunTime saved us months of failed searching. They pushed back on our unrealistic spec and helped us define what we actually needed. Every candidate they sent was worth interviewing.
James Robertson
November 18, 2024
Best technical recruiter I have worked with. They actually understand embedded systems and asked me real engineering questions during screening. The role they placed me in was exactly right.
I ran Linux, RT-Thread RT-Smart and Apache NuttX on the same Allwinner D1 RISC-V hardware to see what really changes when the OS changes but the hardware does not.
Read More >>
Every embedded software team has lived through a version of the same engineering tragedy. A customer reports a critical edge-case failure on a legacy microcontroller deployed in the field five years ago. A developer is tasked with opening the firmware repository, applying a hotfix, and rebuilding the binary. However, upon checking out the repository, chaos ensues. The project requires a legacy GCC ARM toolchain—specifically version 7-2018-q2-update—alongside a bespoke Python 2.7 build script, a deprecated vendor-specific HAL library, and a precise configuration of GNU Make that only runs correctly under an outdated Linux kernel or an unpatched Windows 7 virtual machine. This fragility is the direct consequence of non-hermetic build environments. For decades, embedded development has relied on locally installed, host-dependent toolchains. Unlike modern cloud-native software development—where applications are packaged alongside their execution runtime—embedded engineering has traditionally treated the host workstation as a dirty canvas of globally installed tools. When build environments are tied to the host operating system's global paths, host library versions, and user configuration settings, bit-for-bit reproducibility across team members and automated build systems becomes virtually impossible.
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Every embedded engineer who has deployed hardware into harsh industrial, remote, or outdoor environments knows the dread of receiving a "bricked" return merchandise authorization (RMA) unit. The device arrives on the bench in a completely unresponsive state: the power supply rail is dead, the main lithium battery is depleted or chemically locked, status LEDs remain dark, and the primary microcontroller (MCU) refuses to boot. To make matters worse, modern industrial sensors, medical devices, smart meters, and automotive modules are frequently rated IP68 or fully encapsulated in potting compound. Diagnosing the failure using traditional methods—cracking open the sealed enclosure, soldering microscopic fly-wires to debug pads, and probing JTAG or UART interfaces—is destructive, labor-intensive, and invalidates the failure analysis context.
Read More >>Firmware CV Guide
28 years reading firmware CVs. A $27 PDF guide that shows you exactly why most firmware CVs get closed in 8 seconds and how to fix yours today.
Get the Guide . $27Market Intelligence
Real embedded engineering job market data across Australia and the USA. Skills in demand, hiring by discipline, and location trends — updated twice monthly.
View Market PulseEngineering recruitment insights, embedded systems trends, and career intelligence. No spam. No recruiterspeak.
We specialise exclusively in deep tech hardware disciplines: embedded systems engineers, firmware engineers, FPGA engineers, DSP engineers, robotics engineers, control systems engineers, PLC and SCADA engineers, power electronics and BESS engineers, mining automation engineers, mechanical engineers, machine learning and edge AI engineers, hardware engineers, and electronics engineers. We do not place generalist software developers or IT professionals.
