Software + DSP Engineer (Telepathic Instruments)

6 week contract trial converting to full time employee.

Telepathic Instruments is an internationally based electronic instruments company founded by Kevin Parker and friends. Our whole thing is to help musicians find what’s on their mind. Our first product, Orchid, combines intuitive design with deep synthesis and sampling capabilities, and we’re just getting started. Our product design is lead by 3 core principles: Insight, Innovation, and Inspiration.

We're hiring an Embedded Systems Developer to join our firmware team and work alongside our senior engineers on Orchid and future hardware projects.
You'll work under the guidance of our Lead Embedded Developer and Hardware/Product Lead, taking on tasks across our C++ codebase that powers Orchid's chord logic, patterns, menus, and hardware interfaces. This is a hands on role where you'll contribute to real product development from day one while learning from experienced engineers who built the system from scratch.
We're not looking for a specific number of years on a CV. We're looking for someone who's genuinely good at what they do, whether that's backed by formal training, self taught expertise, or weird passion projects you built in your spare time. If you've created something complex just because you wanted to, we want to hear about it.
You'll need to be comfortable working independently while staying connected through daily standups and weekly WIP meetings. Our team is distributed across multiple timezones, so async communication matters, but you don't need to be an extrovert.

Write and maintain C++ firmware for Orchid hardware. Work on bare metal embedded systems using ARM processors. Support development of new hardware prototypes and test rigs. Debug and optimize existing firmware under guidance from senior engineers. Participate in daily standups and weekly WIP meetings. Take ownership of defined tasks while senior engineers focus on higher complexity work.

Solid C++ skills with embedded systems experience. Familiarity with ARM platforms and bare metal development. Interest in or experience with synthesizers, music hardware, or electronic instruments. Ability to work independently while being a good team player. Clear communication in English.

Experience with STM32 processors. Background in audio processing or MIDI. You've built hardware or firmware projects for fun. You're a musician or synth enthusiast.

The chance to build instruments used by some of the biggest names in music. Orchid has already been adopted by artists including Kid Cudi, Fred again.., Diplo, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, Madison Beer, Logic, and Gracie Abrams. Our first 4,000 units sold out in minutes, and TIME Magazine named Orchid one of the Best Inventions of 2025.

You'll join a small, focused team where your code ships directly to musicians around the world. No layers of bureaucracy, no waiting months to see your work in production. We're building both hardware and software (Orchid and our Pistil VST plugin), so you'll be part of an ecosystem that spans embedded systems to desktop applications.

We're a distributed team that values autonomy and async communication. Daily standups keep us aligned, but you'll have the freedom to structure your work around your life. You'll also get access to our community, The Garden, where thousands of Orchid owners share feedback that directly shapes what we build next.