EmbeddedFirmwareFPGARoboticsElectronics

Embedded Systems, Firmware and FPGA Recruitment

We place embedded, firmware, and FPGA engineers who have shipped hardware that cannot fail. Australia 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 · PCB DESIGN · ROBOTICS / ROS2 · MACHINE LEARNING / CV · CONTROL SYSTEMS · RF ENGINEERING

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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RF Engineer

Job Location: Brisbane, Queensland

RF Engineer 5-10 Years Exp 2-5 Years Exp

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Senior Embedded Systems Engineer

Job Location: Waikato, Waikato

Firmware Engineer 10+ Years Exp

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Senior Electronics Engineer

Job Location: Sydney, New South Wales

Electronics Engineer 10+ Years Exp

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Software Manager

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

Software Manager 10+ Years Exp

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Electronics Design Engineer

Job Location: Brisbane, Queensland

Electronics Engineer RF Engineer Firmware Engineer FPGA Engineer 2-5 Years Exp

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Electronics Design Engineer

Job Location: Melbourne, Victoria

Power Electronics Engineer Electronics Engineer RF Engineer Electrical Engineer Firmware Engineer FPGA Engineer 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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General5 June 2026

The Great Transition: Identifying Mid-Level Engineers Ready to Step Into Senior Architectural Roles

The embedded engineering landscape is facing a profound bottleneck. As technologies like Edge AI, advanced industrial automation, and connected IoT devices proliferate, the demand for sophisticated hardware-software co-design has never been higher. Yet, while there is a steady pipeline of junior and mid-level engineers capable of writing solid firmware, there is a critical shortage of [...]

The Octopus Model: Programming Systems with Distributed Intelligence across Sensors and Actuators

For decades, the standard architectural approach in embedded systems engineering has mirrored traditional corporate hierarchies: a powerful, centralized processing unit dictates the actions of numerous “dumb” peripherals. In this model, a central Microcontroller Unit (MCU) or Microprocessor Unit (MPU) constantly polls sensors, ingests raw data, runs the core algorithms, and explicitly commands actuators. While this [...]

Model Drift in the Wild: Strategies for Local Re-Calibration Without Cloud Connectivity

We are living in the golden age of Edge AI. Embedded engineers are no longer just writing firmware to read sensor data and toggle GPIO pins; we are deploying deep learning models directly onto microcontrollers (MCUs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). However, the reality of deploying machine learning in “the wild” is far messier than [...]

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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.

View Market Pulse

2,992

US Firmware Jobs

5,937

US Robotics Jobs

144

AU Robotics Jobs

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, hardware engineers, and edge ML engineers. We do not place generalist software developers or IT professionals.