RunTimeRecruitment
EmbeddedFirmwareFPGAControlsSCADARoboticsBESSMining AutomationMechanicalEdge AI

Embedded Systems, Firmware, FPGA, PLC and SCADA Engineering Recruitment

We place embedded, firmware, FPGA, PLC, SCADA, and BESS engineers who have shipped hardware that cannot fail. Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Book a 15 min CallSubmit Your Job Spec
FIRMWARE  ·  EMBEDDED C/C++  ·  FPGA / VHDL  ·  RTOS ENGINEERING  ·  PLC / SCADA  ·  PLC / SCADA ENGINEERING  ·  BESS / POWER ELECTRONICS  ·  MINING AUTOMATION
The Problem

Hiring engineers is risky. Pretending otherwise is negligent.

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.

  • Roles rejected outright when expectations are unrealistic
  • 97% retention because we say no more than yes
  • Zero tolerance for untested engineers
  • Used by teams where mistakes have real consequences

Call us to evaluate the risk properly.

Book a Call
Overview

What we do

RunTime helps engineering teams avoid bad hires in complex, real world systems.

We Understand Engineering

We don't skim resumes. We interrogate competence. Our screening is grounded in how systems actually fail.

No Template Hiring

There are no interchangeable engineers. We align to your system, your risk profile, and your delivery pressure.

Signal Over Volume

We don't flood you with CVs. We apply targeted outreach, referrals, and a curated database.

We Own the Risk With You

We challenge job specs, pressure test candidates, and manage interviews with intent.

Active Roles

Open Positions

View All

Embedded Software Engineer - Contract

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

View Full Job >>

General Manager MV & HV - Data Centres

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

View Full Job >>

Senior Process Development Engineer

Job Location: Sydney, New South Wales

View Full Job >>

Cloud Security Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

View Full Job >>

Test and Validation Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

View Full Job >>

Frontend / UX Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

View Full Job >>
Sectors We Cover

Industries

See All
Medical

Medical

Transport

Transport

Industrial

Industrial

Audio/Video

Audio/Video

Space

Space

ML/CV

ML/CV

Agriculture

Agriculture

Energy

Energy

Telecommunications

Telecommunications

IoT

IoT

How It Works

Workflow

PhaseWhat HappensWhy It Matters
Kick offStakeholder briefing. Lock down job spec. Agree KPIs, timelines, and contacts.Aligns everyone on goals and process, prevents scope creep later.
Market ResearchAnalyse competitors and tech stacks. Map market trends.Sharpens the pitch so we attract exactly the right talent.
Candidate SourcingSearch databases and inbound lists. Leverage networks, social channels, and referrals.Builds a quality funnel with no resume blasts.
ShortlistingTechnical interviews. Skills tests.Saves you time, only the top three candidates move forward.
Presentation and InterviewsPresent endorsed candidates. Schedule interviews. Debrief both sides after each round.Maintains momentum and candidate engagement throughout.
Offer ManagementReference checks. Draft and present offer. Confirm commitment level.Reduces last minute surprises and renegotiations.
Post Hire SupportRegular check ins with client and new hire. Assist onboarding.Protects your investment and boosts retention.
Social Proof

What Engineers and Clients Say

RunTime Recruitment

57 Google reviews

Write a Review
P

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!

P

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.

D

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.

M

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.

S

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.

J

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.

Engineering Insights

Latest Articles

View All Articles
Vendor Lock-In in the Age of AI: Navigating Proprietary Copilot Ecosystems vs. Open-Source Weights
Technical25 August 2026

Vendor Lock-In in the Age of AI: Navigating Proprietary Copilot Ecosystems vs. Open-Source Weights

For embedded systems engineers, the allure of generative AI is undeniable. The day-to-day reality of writing low-level code involves navigating labyrinthine reference manuals, configuring complex register maps, debugging race conditions in real-time operating systems (RTOS), and wrangling peripheral drivers. When AI-powered copilots first emerged, promising instant boilerplate generation, automated unit tests, and quick explanations for obscure compiler warnings, they felt like a long-overdue revolution. However, as engineering teams transition from experimental adoption to deep production integration, a shadow has fallen across the workbench. We are witnessing the rapid crystallization of a new kind of technical debt: AI vendor lock-in.

Read More >>
The Walled Garden: Why Hermetic Build Environments Are Non-Negotiable for Embedded Engineering
Technical24 August 2026

The Walled Garden: Why Hermetic Build Environments Are Non-Negotiable for Embedded Engineering

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.

Read More >>

Firmware CV Guide

You keep applying. You keep getting silence.

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 . $27
$27
Instant PDF download

Market Intelligence

Engineering Market Pulse

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 Pulse
2,992
US Firmware Jobs
5,937
US Robotics Jobs
144
AU Robotics Jobs
24
AU Firmware Jobs
Free Newsletter

The Engineering Pulse

Engineering recruitment insights, embedded systems trends, and career intelligence. No spam. No recruiterspeak.

Common Questions

FAQ

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.