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

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Embedded Systems Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Electronics Engineer - 6-Month Contract

Job Location: Wellington, Wellington

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Software Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Frontend / UX Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Backend Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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Full Stack Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

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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

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The "Self-Taught" Hardware Engineer Trap: Evaluating Hands-On Project Experience Over Theoretical Degrees
Career29 July 2026

The "Self-Taught" Hardware Engineer Trap: Evaluating Hands-On Project Experience Over Theoretical Degrees

The software development world has spent the last two decades celebrating the rise of the self-taught developer. Bootcamps, open-source repositories, and interactive tutorials proved that you do not need a four-year Computer Science degree to ship scalable web applications, write clean APIs, or build responsive user interfaces. While hands-on project experience is invaluable, there is a subtle, high-stakes phenomenon emerging across tech hiring: The "Self-Taught" Hardware Engineer Trap. Evaluating hardware candidates strictly by their visible project output while dismissing formal theoretical foundations—or conversely, assuming a theoretical Electrical Engineering (EE) degree automatically guarantees hardware proficiency—creates significant hiring blind spots.

Read More >>
The Multi-Modal Sync Crisis: Handling Video, Audio, and Telemetry Fusion on Constrained Edge NPUs
Technical23 July 2026

The Multi-Modal Sync Crisis: Handling Video, Audio, and Telemetry Fusion on Constrained Edge NPUs

The embedded engineering landscape is undergoing a radical paradigm shift. We have moved past the era of single-sensor intelligence. Today’s edge devices—ranging from autonomous drones and industrial robotics to advanced wearable health monitors—are expected to understand their environment by simultaneously ingesting high-definition video, multi-channel audio, and high-frequency telemetry data. We are demanding that deeply embedded systems perceive the world much like humans do: in a continuous, synchronized, multi-modal stream. However, beneath the marketing promises of "Edge AI," a significant engineering hurdle remains largely unaddressed: the multi-modal synchronization crisis.

Read More >>
Side-Channel Attacks in 2026: Patching Power-Analysis Vulnerabilities Exclusively via Firmware
Technical22 July 2026

Side-Channel Attacks in 2026: Patching Power-Analysis Vulnerabilities Exclusively via Firmware

Historically, physical side-channel attacks—specifically Simple Power Analysis (SPA), Differential Power Analysis (DPA), and Correlation Power Analysis (CPA)—were treated as hardware-level problems. If a microcontroller lacked built-in current flattening, localized shielding, or hardware cryptographic accelerators with dual-rail transient logic, the security architecture was considered compromised. However, millions of legacy and cost-constrained devices currently deployed in critical infrastructure, automotive systems, and IoT networks cannot be physically recalled or re-spun. Re-spinning silicon to mitigate newfound power leakage vectors is financially non-viable. Firmware engineering has evolved to bridge this gap. In 2026, mitigating power analysis attacks exclusively through software and low-level firmware updates is no longer a temporary workaround—it is a mandatory engineering practice.

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
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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.