Embedded Software Engineer

At Hive, we're building the defining physical AI platform of the next decade.

Industrial labor is one of the most acute bottlenecks in the global economy. Operators are expensive, hard to retain, and working in environments that are increasingly unsafe. The shortage is structural. The window to solve it is now.

Our answer is a machine-agnostic intelligence platform that lets any machine, on any site, perceive, decide, and act autonomously. One platform. Any machine. No fleet replacement.

Already live across multiple sites and customers in Europe - spanning logistics and warehousing, industrial manufacturing, and large-scale chemical production - with a US expansion underway.

The vision: one operator managing hundreds of machines simultaneously. Productive machine-hour cost dropping by 80x, and unlocks the next productivity revolution in physical work.

The mission is to make productivity limitless. Come and help us build it.

The Role

The Embedded Software Engineer develops the low-level controls and communication interfaces required to connect different industrial vehicles to the Hive platform.

This role combines embedded software development, vehicle network analysis, protocol integration, PLC integration, and hands-on machine commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and reverse-engineer CAN, J1939, and proprietary vehicle protocols.
• Capture and interpret vehicle network traffic using CAN analysis tools.
• Develop and maintain DBC files, signal mappings, command interfaces, and diagnostic definitions.
• Implement embedded software for vehicle commands, feedback, state machines, interlocks, and fault handling.
• Develop and maintain communication gateways between Hive systems and OEM controllers.
• Work with Beckhoff PLC systems, including TwinCAT, EtherCAT, and IEC 61131-3 applications.
• Understand, modify, and troubleshoot existing PLC control logic.
• Support integration with and migration from legacy Beckhoff PLC-based controls.
• Develop bench tests, simulators, automated tests, and hardware-in-the-loop test systems.
• Debug communication and control issues during machine bring-up.
• Document vehicle protocols and create reusable embedded integration packages.
• Collaborate with electrical, robotics software, and vehicle integration engineers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of embedded software or machine-controls development experience.
• Strong C/C++ development skills.
• Experience with MCU, RTOS, embedded Linux, or industrial control platforms.
• Hands-on experience with CAN, CAN FD, J1939, and proprietary communication protocols.
• Experience using CANalyzer, CANoe, PCAN, Kvaser, or similar tools.
• Experience with Beckhoff PLCs and TwinCAT.
• Knowledge of IEC 61131-3 languages, particularly Structured Text.
• Understanding of real-time controls, state machines, diagnostics, and fault handling.
• Experience integrating software with real sensors, actuators, and vehicle controllers.
• Strong hands-on debugging skills using logs, traces, oscilloscopes, and network captures.
• Willingness to support machine commissioning and travel to customer sites. Why Join Hive? Join Hive at a pivotal stage as we expand into the US and build a new category in Physical AI. You’ll work with cutting-edge autonomy technology and a highly experienced team to bring autonomous industrial machines out of development and into real-world commercial operations. As we establish and scale our US operations, you’ll have the opportunity to take on significant responsibility from day one, help shape how we operate in the US, and build the playbooks for deploying and operating autonomous machines at scale.. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position may be filled before the application deadline. Early applications are encouraged. Hive values diversity and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation or background.