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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.

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97%

Retention Rate

90d

Replacement Guarantee

28+

Years Specialist Focus

40%

Briefs We Push Back On

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.

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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

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Lead Integration Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Integration Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Senior Draftsperson

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Embedded Systems / Firmware Engineer

Job Location: Brisbane, Queensland

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Senior Electrical Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Software Team Lead

Job Location: Perth, Western Australia

Software Team Lead 5-10 Years Exp

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Sectors We Cover

Industries

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Medical

Transport

Industrial

Audio/Video

Space

ML/CV

Agriculture

Energy

Telecommunications

IoT

How It Works

Workflow

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.

Social Proof

What Engineers and Clients Say

RunTime Recruitment

57 Google reviews

Write a Review

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.

Engineering Insights

Latest Articles

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Technical17 July 2026

LLVM vs. Vendor GCC: Navigating Code Size and Optimization Quirks in Modern Embedded Toolchains

For decades, the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) has been the bedrock of embedded systems development. Hardware vendors routinely distribute tailored GCC forks to support their proprietary silicon architectures, specialized instruction sets, and peripheral libraries. However, the LLVM/Clang infrastructure has matured into a formidable alternative, powering commercial toolchains like Arm Compiler 6 (AC6) and gaining native adoption across major open-source embedded ecosystems. For embedded software engineers, choosing between a vendor-supplied GCC toolchain and a modern LLVM-based pipeline is no longer just an academic debate. It is a critical architectural decision that directly influences binary footprint size, execution deterministic behavior, boot times, and hardware bill-of-materials (BOM) costs.

High-Fidelity Haptics: Taming Actuator Ringing and Jitter in Next-Gen Wearables

The expectations for wearable device haptics have fundamentally changed. We have moved far beyond the era of crude, monotonous buzzes used purely for basic notifications. Today’s next-generation wearables—ranging from advanced medical monitors and immersive AR/VR controllers to sophisticated smartwatches, demand high-fidelity tactile feedback. Modern user interfaces require haptic subsystems to simulate complex textures, render crisp button clicks, track real-time biometrics, and provide nuanced spatial awareness. For the embedded systems engineer, delivering this level of fidelity presents a steep physical and algorithmic challenge. At the heart of high-fidelity haptics lies a difficult engineering paradox: how do you achieve rapid, high-acceleration tactile transitions using mechanical components that are inherently prone to resonance, inertia, and latency?

Flaky Hardware, Flaky Tests: Decoupling Firmware Bugs from Testbench Artifacts in HIL Environments

In complex embedded systems across automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial automation fields, HIL testing is the gold standard for validation. However, because HIL sits at the volatile intersection of physical instrumentation, simulated environments, and target execution hardware, it is uniquely prone to non-deterministic failures. When a test fails intermittently, distinguishing between a legitimate firmware bug and a testbench artifact can consume days of development time. Decoupling these two domains requires a deep understanding of the physical and architectural vectors that introduce flakiness into HIL environments, along with a systematic framework for triage.

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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.

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2,992

US Firmware Jobs

5,937

US Robotics Jobs

144

AU Robotics Jobs

AU Firmware Jobs

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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.