Lead Embedded Systems Engineer

Zenblen is looking for a passionate, and entrepreneurial Lead Embedded Systems Engineer to join our team full-time.

As our Lead Embedded Systems Engineer, you will own the architecture, development, and delivery of embedded firmware and electrical systems that power our robotic kiosks. You'll be responsible for creating production-grade firmware, owning the development of the electrical systems, improving reliability and diagnostics, and guiding the design of our next-generation control systems.

You’ll work closely with mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams to create a robust and scalable system—and ensure our kiosks are safe, compliant, and maintainable in the field.

Key Responsibilities:

Architecture & Development

• Lead the architecture and development of embedded firmware across multiple subsystems (e.g., motors, sensors, cameras, actuators).
• Develop modular, production-grade firmware that supports field updates, diagnostics, and structured error handling.
• Design and implement communication protocols (CAN, UART, I2C, SPI) across a distributed system.

Electrical System Design & Integration

• Oversee schematic reviews and PCB design decisions in collaboration with internal and external teams.
• Ensure all electrical subsystems are designed with compliance (UL, NSF) and manufacturability in mind.
• Define test plans and support fixture development for board bring-up and system integration.

System Reliability & Safety

• Develop safety-critical firmware features (e.g., interlocks, watchdog timers, emergency stops).
• Support HALT testing, root cause analysis, and reliability growth through firmware instrumentation and data logging.
• Drive improvements to error classification and system diagnostics to support field service and remote triage.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with our Lead Software Engineer to align embedded logic with cloud systems and dashboards.
• Partner with the mechanical team to define control strategies and safety logic for moving parts.
• Collaborate with manufacturing to develop production test firmware, calibration tools, and revision management processes.

This is an opportunity to join an early-stage, venture backed startup and see the immediate tangible impact of your work. In this close-knit team environment, you will have ownership in valuable workstreams, while still receiving mentorship from our experienced engineering team. Furthermore, this position will open a vast professional network in the Chicago tech community and provide you with knowledge of startup acumen.
 

What we are looking for

• Someone looking for an opportunity to run with things and take ownership of their work
• Great communication & organization skills, and high degree of logical thinking
• A desire to work in a fast-paced startup environment and excel with limited direction
• An excellent work ethic and “get things done” attitude
• A love for nutrition, wellness, and healthy living – extra points for being a smoothie person!

Key Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in embedded systems development, ideally in a robotics, automation, or an electro-mechanical company.
• Proficient in C/C++ for embedded systems, with strong understanding of RTOS concepts or bare-metal programming.
• Experience designing and integrating hardware platforms using microcontrollers (e.g., STM32).
• Hands-on experience with hardware debugging tools (e.g., oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG).
• Strong understanding of electrical systems: power distribution, safety circuits, sensors, and actuator control.
• Experience with production-level embedded features: OTA updates, bootloaders, diagnostics, logging, etc.
• Ability to own projects end-to-end and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work on-site in Chicago.

What We Offer

• A chance to own core systems at a high-growth startup
• Hands-on, real-world problems in robotics, automation, and foodtech
• Close collaboration with a top-tier, mission-driven team
• Competitive compensation and equity
• Assist with the development of an on-site, hardware-rich environment (lab, prototyping, testing)

About Zenblen:

Zenblen offers freshly blended smoothies via a robotic smoothie bar. Our smoothie kiosk dispenses and blends ingredients right in front of the consumer, fresh to order.

We are a fast-paced, high-momentum startup that graduated from Chicago Booth’s New Venture Challenge, one of the top-ranked accelerators in the nation. Our company has also been featured in the Chicago Venture Summit as a leading innovator in the food tech space. We are proud to have brought on expert investors and world-class advisors to join us on this journey.

Our mission is to make healthy eating more accessible for everyone. We believe how someone fuels their body has a tremendous impact on all aspects of their life and therefore democratizing nutritionist curated smoothies will positively impact countless people across the globe. Just like how Starbucks forever changed coffee culture, we look to revolutionize how the world experiences smoothies!

About our culture:

The beauty of an early stage startup is that every member of the team has an imprint on the culture. We take pride in empowering each member on our team with a high level of ownership and the ability to run with their ideas. The speed at which our team executes and the organization grows makes it a haven for those looking for opportunities to accelerate their own career trajectory.

We invest in the growth of our team and encourage each member to explore personally meaningful pursuits. Do you want to spearhead campus engagement and recruiting at your alma mater? How about engaging in meetups supporting diversity in the Chicago tech ecosystem? Or championing health & wellness at local events to share the benefits of smoothies? If we have the resources, Zenblen will throw its support behind you each step of the way!

Most importantly, we promise an environment of highly motivated individuals who are aligned on our team's mission and who will run through walls on each other's behalf. We are all motivated to do the best we can and produce the highest achieving results possible, while also taking the time to truly get to know each other and laugh with one another. We hold ourselves to high expectations, but know the importance of slowing down to enjoy the happy moments of being a close-knit team who love to drink smoothies together!

Learn more about our journey:

• Video of our innovative product experience
• Featured spotlight by University of Chicago’s Polsky Center of Entrepreneurship
• Zenblen’s partnership with the Illinois Institute of Technology Design Program