Software Engineer, Platform

About Us

We’re Impulse — a team of engineers, designers, and innovators based in San Francisco, dedicated to building high-performance, sustainable products that empower whole-home electrification without compromising lifestyle. As an early-stage, VC-backed company, we’re growing rapidly and looking for passionate individuals to join us in creating delightful, scalable solutions that make it easy to make good decisions for your home and the environment.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Software Engineer to help build the embedded platform powering our next-generation electrified appliances. You’ll work across disciplines—from UI displays and system integration to hardware interfacing—developing robust, scalable software that supports seamless user experiences. You’ll be part of a small, highly collaborative team where initiative, flexibility, and technical breadth are key to success.

We’re seeking individuals eager to join an early-stage, VC-backed startup with big ambitions to drive positive change in a major industry.

What you’ll be doing

Design and develop on-device software for embedded SoCs (e.g., i.MX8), running Yocto Linux

Build and maintain UI frameworks and display logic for next-generation appliance interfaces

Architect reliable, maintainable software components in Rust or C++ to support interactive and control workflows

Collaborate cross-functionally with firmware, cloud, and product engineering teams to mentor, learn, disseminate knowledge, and improve overall codebase quality

Help to architect our on-device application codebase for robustness, performance, and maintainability across a growing product portfolio

Close cross-functional work with the entire team in all disciplines – iterating on product requirements, building first-in-class prototypes, and representing systems software constraints and needs to the organization

This is considered a senior role, and as such, this role requires :

4+ years of programming experience

2+ years experience with low-level programming languages like Rust or C++

Demonstrated passion for learning and growing your skill set

Able & willing to cross technology domains to produce thoughtful solutions

Excitement to work in a dynamic early startup environment with the potential to impact the global climate and energy crisis

And some things that would be a huge bonus (but not necessarily required) :

Familiarity with modern backend / cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS, GCP), data frameworks (e.g., Apache Arrow), or scripting languages (e.g., TypeScript)

Experience with consumer electronics or hardware-integrated software development

What’s in it for you

Meaningful equity in a fast-moving company with top investors

Generous benefits include health, vision, dental, commuter, and fitness.

Help define culture for a diverse, inclusive, and global team.

Impulse is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and prohibit discrimination and harassment. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone feels safe and welcome.

Our Interview Process

At Impulse, we want to make sure the fit is right for both you and us! Our interview process is designed to help us get to know each other better. Here’s what you can expect :

Intro call with our People Operations Team.

Interview with our Software Engineering Manager

Technical / Functional Interviews with software and product team members

Final Conversation with our Software Engineering Manager

We’re excited to meet you and help you figure out if Impulse is the right fit for you!

Job Location

San Francisco - in office (potential for 1-2 days a week remote)

Compensation Target

$165,000 - $185,000, depending on experience