Intern, Firmware Engineering at Heron Power (Scotts Valley, CA)
Heron Power· Scotts Valley, CA·
Role details
Job description
What to Expect Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade. We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.
Job Overview As an Intern, Firmware Engineering, you will be responsible for developing and testing embedded firmware for our power conversion products. Additionally, you will help with hardware bring-up, test automation and development tooling, working alongside experienced firmware and hardware engineers.
How You Will Contribute
- Write and debug embedded C firmware for microcontrollers
- Implement test cases and automate test execution, including unit tests, hardware-in-the-loop tests and real hardware bench tests
- Hardware bring-up and firmware debugging using lab/debugging tools
- Improve build, test and development tooling
- Write clear documentation and take part in code reviews
What You Will Bring
We have a short list of must-have requirements. We prioritize a strong grip on first principles, hands-on skills, and a sense of initiative. Domain-specific knowledge and experience will help determine the career level for each hire.
Must-Have Requirements
- Currently pursuing a BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or a related field
- Good C/C++ programming skills
- Some embedded experience from coursework, clubs or personal projects
- Basic Python for scripting
- Familiarity with Git, or any version control tools
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience with microcontrollers and common peripherals (ADC, PWM, UART, SPI, CAN)
- Familiarity with any RTOS or real-time programming
- Lab tools such as an oscilloscope or debugger
- Interest in power electronics or energy
If you are passionate about technology and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything at Heron Power.
Why work at Heron Power
- High-impact mission: Work on foundational hardware that directly enables the energy transition and AI infrastructure — systems that will be deployed and operated for decades.
- Engineering culture: Values rapid iteration ("build, test, learn"), first-principles reasoning, and cross-functional collaboration across hardware, software, manufacturing, and operations.
- Ownership and autonomy: Strong emphasis on taking accountability for outcomes, not just tasks, and working across team boundaries to deliver an impeccable product.
- Transparent and direct: Culture prizes clear communication, honest feedback, and progress over posturing — "no defensiveness, no ego."
- Location and flexibility: Based in Scotts Valley, California (near Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley), with a presence in Canada. The work is highly hands-on (hardware, lab, factory), so on-site presence is expected for engineering roles.
- Growth trajectory: Explosive headcount growth (975% YoY) and 58 open roles across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, software, and supply chain disciplines — offering significant career acceleration for early hires.
- Notable perks: Opportunity to work alongside a team with deep expertise from Tesla, Meta, and KKR, with direct mentorship from a proven founder.