It wasn’t too long ago that embedded engineers were only really found in niche industries with high regulatory security needs (like aerospace and industrial automation), but they’re now playing a pivotal role in the success of many modern tech teams.
In this article, I’ll share how the rise of embedded engineers is redefining how teams collaborate, innovate, and secure the tech that’s going to define the industry.
What is an Embedded Engineer?
An embedded engineer designs and develops specialized software and hardware that power everyday devices, from smart appliances and medical equipment to automotive systems and industrial machines.
Unlike traditional software engineers, they work closer to the hardware, optimizing code for efficiency, reliability, and real-time performance. Their expertise spans microcontrollers, low-level programming (C, C++), and embedded operating systems like FreeRTOS or Linux.
These engineers bridge the gap between software and hardware, ensuring seamless functionality in resource-constrained environments. Whether it’s making a smartwatch battery last longer or fine-tuning a car’s braking system, their work is crucial yet often invisible.
In short, embedded engineers shape the technology we interact with daily, turning complex electronics into smart, efficient, and responsive solutions that enhance modern life.
Drivers of Demand: IoT, Connectivity, and Beyond
The explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT) is a key catalyst for the rise of embedded engineering. In 2025, the number of IoT devices worldwide is projected to increase by 13% to a massive 18.8 billion devices. Each one of those devices requires tailored software to manage sensors, data processing, and connectivity.
We’re going to see more wearable tech, autonomous vehicles and smart infrastructure all of which add to the demand. The systems needed to enable these technologies rely on embedded engineers to balance performance with power consumption, latency, and cost. And it’s embedded engineers’ specializations that mean they can do this more effectively than a generalist developer.
AI is another driver of demand. An embedded engineer can co-design hardware and software, which is essential for AI to run reliably in the real world. The global AI market is expected to grow annually by 37% in 2025, which means embedded engineers will be essential as AI continues to permeate every corner of modern technology.
Why Connectivity Requires More Embedded Engineers
Connectivity is undeniably beneficial for all of us, but it comes with threats and risks. Embedded engineers are now frontline defenders in securing devices against vulnerabilities, particularly when it comes to things like wi-fi security and access control. Each smart device is a potential access point for hackers and malware, and their interconnectivity means that bad actors can access entire networks relatively simply.
This is bad enough when it comes to smart home devices, but think of the implications when it comes to institutions like banks, hospitals, and government. And with many institutions allowing for bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, your security systems need to be agile and adaptive to a broad variety of integrations and connections.
A key principle of embedded engineers is reducing risks by having security baked into devices from the outset. They can implement hardware-based encryption, secure boot processes, and over-the-air (OTA) update mechanisms, all of which allow for vulnerabilities to be patched without physical access. Furthermore, their expertise in protocols like WPA3 and TLS for embedded systems is critical to safeguarding data integrity in an era where every connected device is a potential entry point for attackers.
Software Development Reimagined
Traditionally, software development prioritizes abstraction and scalability, but when it comes to embedded systems you need a different mindset. Every byte of memory and millisecond of processing time matters.
Embedded engineers can tackle this by building their codebases with low-level languages, optimizing drivers for real-time operating systems (RTOS), and debugging issues that straddle hardware and software boundaries.
We’re already seeing how this specialization is reshaping software teams and how they’re recruited. While full-stack developers focus on cloud APIs and user interfaces, embedded engineers ensure the firmware controlling a device’s core functions is robust. The result? Tech teams are increasingly modular. You’ll see embedded experts working alongside application developers and cybersecurity specialists to create cohesive, secure products.
How Embedded Engineers Are Reshaping Teams
As they straddle the line of hardware and software, the inclusion of embedded engineers can be a big driver of cross-disciplinary collaboration. In automotive tech, embedded specialists are working with AI developers to refine the real-time decision-making of autonomous systems. In healthcare, they partner with biomedical experts to ensure devices meet stringent safety standards.
This shift also highlights a broader trend: the end of the “generalist engineer” as a one-size-fits-all solution. Companies that silo hardware and software teams risk inefficiencies and security gaps. Meanwhile, if your teams have embedded engineers, they’re better equipped to tackle complex challenges, from optimizing battery life in wearables to hardening industrial control systems against cyberattacks.
Embedded engineers can also play an important role in advising you on the right tech and integrations in your own tech stack. They can assess resource constraints and performance requirements if you want to add an edge AI chip. Their expertise means they can probably parse through feature pages like this translation API to identify whether it’s going to be something your team needs and if it has the right integrations you need. They can even run tests that ensure your existing hardware is compatible with any new software integrations you introduce.
Choosing The Right Embedded Engineer
If you’re looking to expand your dev team, businesses should look for candidates who offer a balanced blend of technical prowess, domain experience, and strategic insight.
Technical Expertise
Proficiency in low-level programming (C/C++/Assembly), real-time operating systems, and hardware-software integration (e.g., device drivers, I²C, SPI, CAN) is essential. This ensures the engineer can optimize performance in resource-constrained environments. You can check for these skills using the right tests and assessments.
Domain-Specific Experience
Candidates should have familiarity with the specific industry’s standards and regulatory requirements, whether automotive (ISO 26262), medical (IEC 62304), or consumer electronics, to streamline development and ensure compliance. This will be tailored towards your industry, so devise a set of questions and tests that will allow you to do a deep dive into the candidate’s domain expertise.
Optimization and Problem-Solving Skills
The ideal embedded engineer designs highly efficient systems that strike the perfect balance between processing power, memory, and energy consumption. This is especially critical when integrating emerging technologies like TinyML, edge AI and real-time data processing, where computational efficiency directly impacts performance and longevity.
Modern Tools and Frameworks
Experience with contemporary development ecosystems (such as TensorFlow Lite for on-device AI, specialized IDEs, and OTA update mechanisms) is critical for rapid prototyping and scalable deployments. But just like other devs and SWEs, they have to know their way around Adobe Acrobat alternatives,
Conclusion
The rise of embedded engineers reflects a tech landscape where innovation hinges on deep expertise. For recruiters, this means prioritizing candidates who blend software prowess with hardware fluency—and who understand the security imperatives of a connected world.
Both recruiters and engineers must collaborate on team formation, lest wrong decisions lead to catastrophic mistakes. Simply put, there are no hunches in something as serious as securing edge devices.
