Embedded Systems & Firmware
Embedded C/C++, RTOS, Embedded Linux, BSPs, device drivers, connectivity.
Engineering-led recruitment
Everyone looks good
on paper now.
Who can actually
do the job?
Engineering recruitment for embedded, firmware, FPGA and electronics teams building real products.
Australia · New Zealand · USA
Embedded Systems
Firmware
FPGA
Electronics
Controls & Automation
Robotics & Edge AI
Firmware
FPGA
Electronics
Controls & Automation
Robotics & Edge AI
Better Engineers.
Brighter Products.
Brighter Products.
The market has changed
More applicants haven’t made
engineering hiring easier.
A single role can generate dozens of seemingly qualified candidates. AI can polish CVs and cover letters in seconds.
The difficult part isn’t finding people anymore.
It’s working out who genuinely has the engineering depth to do the job.
Our approach
Technical judgment.
Not keyword matching.
We take the time to understand your system, the real requirements and the engineering problems behind the role.
We assess engineers properly, challenge vague briefs and present people who are genuinely worth your time, not just more CVs.
How We WorkOur specialisms
Deep technical hiring for teams building real products.
FPGA & Digital Design
VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, FPGA/SoC development, verification, high-speed digital systems.
Electronics & Hardware
Analog, digital, mixed-signal, RF, power electronics, PCB design, hardware validation.
Technical Leadership
Principal engineers, leads, engineering managers and technical executives.
We also recruit for: Controls · Robotics · Edge AI · Automation
Founder-led
Built by an engineer.
Focused on great hires.
RunTime was founded by Lance Harvie, an embedded engineer with 28+ years in specialist technical recruitment.
We understand the technology, the engineering challenges and what it takes to build and ship real products.
About RunTime
“The difference between a good hire and a bad hire often comes down to whether you understand the engineering well enough to ask the right questions.”
Technical work
Engineering depth behind the recruitment.
Linux vs RT-Smart vs NuttX on the Same RISC-V Board
I ran Linux, RT-Thread RT-Smart and Apache NuttX on the same Allwinner D1 RISC-V hardware to see what really changes when the OS changes but the hardware does not.
Read Article →
The Walled Garden: Why Hermetic Build Environments Are Non-Negotiable for Embedded Engineering
Every embedded software team has lived through a version of the same engineering tragedy. A customer reports a critical edge-case failure on a legacy microcontroller deployed in the field five years ago. A developer is tasked with opening the firmware repository, applying a hotfix, and rebuilding the binary. However, upon checking out the repository, chaos ensues. The project requires a legacy GCC ARM toolchain—specifically version 7-2018-q2-update—alongside a bespoke Python 2.7 build script, a deprecated vendor-specific HAL library, and a precise configuration of GNU Make that only runs correctly under an outdated Linux kernel or an unpatched Windows 7 virtual machine. This fragility is the direct consequence of non-hermetic build environments. For decades, embedded development has relied on locally installed, host-dependent toolchains. Unlike modern cloud-native software development—where applications are packaged alongside their execution runtime—embedded engineering has traditionally treated the host workstation as a dirty canvas of globally installed tools. When build environments are tied to the host operating system's global paths, host library versions, and user configuration settings, bit-for-bit reproducibility across team members and automated build systems becomes virtually impossible.
Read Article →
The "Self-Taught" Hardware Engineer Trap: Evaluating Hands-On Project Experience Over Theoretical Degrees
The software development world has spent the last two decades celebrating the rise of the self-taught developer. Bootcamps, open-source repositories, and interactive tutorials proved that you do not need a four-year Computer Science degree to ship scalable web applications, write clean APIs, or build responsive user interfaces. While hands-on project experience is invaluable, there is a subtle, high-stakes phenomenon emerging across tech hiring: The "Self-Taught" Hardware Engineer Trap. Evaluating hardware candidates strictly by their visible project output while dismissing formal theoretical foundations—or conversely, assuming a theoretical Electrical Engineering (EE) degree automatically guarantees hardware proficiency—creates significant hiring blind spots.
Read Article →Engineering market pulse
Real data. Clear insights.
Hiring activity, skills in demand, salary movement and location trends across Australia and the USA.
Updated twice monthly.
View Market PulseWhat people say
Trusted by engineers and hiring managers.
★★★★★“Had a great experience with Runtime. A big thank you to Aldwin, who was incredibly helpful, professional, and supportive throughout the whole process. Highly recommend!”
★★★★★“Lance proactively secured my opportunity and made the hiring process smooth with his professionalism, clear communication, and genuine support throughout.”
★★★★★“I had a great experience working with both Simon and Lance at Runtime. They were responsive, diligent, and took the time to truly understand my background and career goals.”
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers.
What engineering roles do you recruit?
We specialise in embedded systems, firmware, FPGA and digital design, electronics and hardware, controls, robotics, edge AI, and technical leadership roles.
What makes RunTime different from a generalist recruiter?
RunTime was founded by an embedded engineer. We understand the systems behind each brief, assess technical depth and present a focused shortlist rather than matching keywords.
Do you work on contingent or retained searches?
Yes. We support both contingent and retained searches, choosing the model that best fits the complexity, urgency and seniority of the role.
Do you work with companies outside Australia?
Yes. We recruit across Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
Can you help if we’ve already advertised the role?
Yes. We can diagnose why a search is not producing the right candidates, refine the brief and directly approach relevant engineers.
What happens if a hire doesn’t work out?
Placement terms include a replacement guarantee. The exact coverage is agreed before a search begins and set out in the terms of business.
Let’s talk
You don’t need more CVs.
You need to know who is worth hiring.
If you’re building a product and the engineer matters to the outcome, talk to us.
Discuss a Critical Hire