Embedded Software Engineer
At Tarnoc we are building the next generation of heat pump products for homes. We are working on completely new heat pump technologies for residential buildings to accelerate the energy transition. As an Embedded Software Engineer at Tarnoc you will be working on the full software stack of the heat pump, from low-level firmware running on the microcontroller all the way up to the higher-level control software, tooling and cloud services that surround it.
Tarnoc is a startup located at YES!Delft, the incubator of TU Delft. We have developed a new type of heat pump system, the Turbine Heat Pump, that is capable of heating a wide range of houses without the need for large renovations. This enables a much faster energy transition to solve the biggest challenge in the energy transition. We are currently a team of 9 dedicated colleagues with a love for cool tech. After many years of testing and prototyping we are now transitioning into the next phase of the company: commercially scaling our products in the real world, as well as introducing new products into our heat pump lineup.
About the role
As an Embedded Software Engineer at Tarnoc you will be working on everything that makes the heat pump tick, from drivers and sensor integration on the microcontroller to the higher-level control software, tools, and cloud services that allow us to monitor, update and improve heat pumps in the field. You will be involved from the concept phase, writing firmware for new electronics boards, debugging real hardware on the bench, building the software around it, and finally taking everything into production-grade releases that run reliably for years in customers’ homes. The job is a mix of writing code, working closely with the electronics and mechanical engineers, and getting your hands dirty in the workshop and the field to make real products work in the world.
What you'd work with
- Firmware: C with FreeRTOS + HAL on STM32
- Edge/IoT: Python microservices on Raspberry Pi (FastAPI, MQTT, ZeroMQ, Protobuf)
- Monitoring: InfluxDB + Grafana
- Cloud: NestJS, Next.js, PostgreSQL, Docker Compose, Caddy
- Networking: Tailscale
Responsibilities
You will be working in a tight-knit engineering team. You will be responsible for specific firmware and software components of the heat pump, from prototyping to production. You will be expected to quickly learn and master a problem to become the team expert in a specific field.
- Own firmware and software components, on-device and in the cloud
- Writing drivers and integrating sensors and actuators
- Building higher-level control software and data tooling on top of the firmware
- Building and testing prototypes together with the hardware team
- Creating firmware release, deployment and update processes
- Supporting field validation and debugging
You'll work on everything that makes the heat pump tick: from drivers and sensor integration on the STM32, to Python services on the Raspberry Pi, to the cloud tools that let us monitor and improve heat pumps in the field. This is a rare role where you'll touch firmware, edge computing, and cloud in the same week. You'll write code, debug on the bench, and ship things that run in real homes.
Requirements
- 3+ years of professional experience
- Strong embedded C / C++ skills
- Experience with microcontrollers (STM32, ESP32 or equivalent)
- Comfortable in a higher-level language (Python, Rust, Go) for tooling and services
- BSc or MSc in a technical field
- Practical hands-on skills with electronics and debugging tools
Nice-to-have experience
- Experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr or similar)
- Experience with industrial communication protocols (CAN, Modbus, Modbus-RTU)
- Experience with Linux on embedded platforms (Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone or similar)
- Experience with IoT platforms and cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Experience with OTA updates and secure firmware deployment
- Experience and knowledge of HVAC
What success looks like
Being able to take ownership and having a hands-on mentality with new challenges. Being able to solve new problems in a structured, documented, and scalable way that results in long-term improvements to products. Within 3-6 months having a complete understanding of the heat pump software stack and having brought your own improvements into the system, with code running on real heat pumps in the field.
Who you will work with
At Tarnoc we are a small growing team of people that love solving interesting real-world problems to bring new products into reality. We are not afraid to be ambitious and make an impact. Our international team consists of 5 different nationalities and all kinds of backgrounds, from physics, mathematics, mechanical engineering, industrial design, biotech, and renewable energy technology.
What we offer
- Startup equity package (SARS)
- Pension plan
- 25 vacation days
- Office in Delft
- Onsite team lunches
- Access to a maker workshop for personal projects
Culture and working style
At Tarnoc we have a flat organisation with everybody’s input being appreciated on projects. In a startup there are very few pre-set paths and as a team we come together to figure out the best move in an always-changing environment. We work in 2-week development sprints with the whole R&D team, with sub-groups focusing on specific sub-components. We appreciate some good nerd banter and love hearing about personal projects that you have going on. We like direct, kind communication and people who are curious about how things work.
Day in the life
9:00 - 9:30 arrive at the office
9:30 - Daily stand-up. Discuss goals and tasks of the day with the R&D team
10:00 - 11:30 work on a new motor control firmware module
11:30 - 12:30 bench debugging session with the electronics engineer on a new sensor board
12:30 lunch on the YES!Delft terrace with the team
13:30 build a data analysis tool to review field heat pump performance
15:30 assist in bringing up firmware and software on a new heat pump prototype
16:30 finalize commits, code review and documentation
17:00 - 17:30 head home
Practical details
- Location: Delft, TU Delft campus
- Most work onsite
- Full-time (32-40 hours per week)
- Start date: ASAP
Application process
- Send your CV and motivation to [email protected]
- Have a 30 min online call
- 1 hour in-person meeting with Vincent and Tijmen
- Second 1 hour in-person interview with Vincent and another team member
- Contract offer
- Start revolutionizing heating
How to apply
If you want to forever change how the sector that uses the most energy in Europe works, send your CV to
We care more about your ability to solve real engineering problems than whether you match every bullet exactly. If this role excites you, we’d like to hear from you.
Job Type: Full-time
Work Location: In person
