Firmware Engineer Jobs in Rwanda | Ampersand Careers

Join Africa's Electric Mobility Revolution: Firmware Engineer Opportunity at Ampersand Rwanda

Are you passionate about clean energy and cutting-edge technology? Ampersand, East Africa's leading e-mobility pioneer, is seeking a talented Firmware Engineer to join their innovative team in Kigali, Rwanda. This isn't just another tech job; it's an opportunity to directly impact climate change while advancing your career in one of Africa's most exciting tech companies.

Why Ampersand is Changing the Game

Imagine a future where Africa's roads are filled with emission-free vehicles, where taxi drivers earn 30% more income, and where technology meets environmental responsibility. That's not a distant dream, it's happening right now at Ampersand.

Since launching in Kigali and expanding to Nairobi in 2022, Ampersand has put over 5,000 electric motorcycles on the road and established 36 battery swap stations across Rwanda and Kenya. Their mission? To electrify all 5 million taxi motorbikes in East Africa by 2030. With motorcycle taxis being a primary transportation method in African cities and drivers spending over $6 billion annually on gasoline in East Africa alone, the potential for impact is massive.

What Makes This Role Exciting?

As a Firmware Engineer at Ampersand, you'll be at the heart of innovation, working with the Battery System, Integration & IoT team. Your code won't just run on servers it'll power vehicles that real people depend on every day to earn their livelihoods.

Your Key Responsibilities

Your day-to-day work will involve planning and developing firmware that keeps electric motorcycles running smoothly and efficiently. You'll gather requirements from various stakeholders, maintain stable codebases, and create comprehensive unit tests and hardware-in-the-loop simulations to ensure everything works perfectly before hitting the road.

Code quality matters at Ampersand, so you'll participate in thorough code reviews with your peers and perform end-to-end testing to catch issues before they affect riders. Collaboration is key you'll work closely with customers and cross-functional teams to resolve issues quickly and effectively.

Documentation is crucial in any engineering role, and at Ampersand, you'll maintain clear firmware documentation while keeping CI/CD pipelines running smoothly. This ensures that as the team grows and the product evolves, everyone stays on the same page.

What You'll Need to Succeed

The ideal candidate brings a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related field, along with strong demonstrable knowledge of the C programming language. Experience developing and debugging firmware for embedded microcontrollers is essential, after all, you'll be working with real hardware that needs to perform reliably in real-world conditions.

Understanding electronic schematics and boards is important, as is knowledge of communication protocols like CAN bus, I²C, UART, and SPI. While experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Azure RTOS) is a plus, the company values problem-solving ability and willingness to learn just as much.

Beyond technical skills, Ampersand looks for excellent communicators who can express complex ideas clearly, both verbally and in writing. Strong organizational abilities and multitasking skills are essential when juggling multiple priorities. If you're proficient in other programming languages like Python, that's an added advantage.

The Ampersand Culture: More Than Just a Job

What truly sets Ampersand apart isn't just the technology, it's the people and the culture they've built. With over 400 staff members from diverse backgrounds, the company operates on five core values that shape everything they do.

Customer-centricity drives daily decisions, with teams tailoring solutions to exceed expectations. Innovation isn't just encouraged, it's expected, as employees constantly challenge the status quo to enhance customer experiences. Collaboration is celebrated, with teams thriving on solving challenges together rather than working in silos.

Agility allows the company to swiftly adapt to dynamic customer needs and market changes. Perhaps most importantly, Ampersand is driven by both people and planet, ensuring that business success goes hand-in-hand with positive environmental and social impact.

Is This Role Right for You?

This position is perfect if you're genuinely interested in clean energy and environmental impact, even if you don't have direct experience in the field yet. Ampersand values self-motivated, hands-on problem solvers who are comfortable thinking outside the box.

You should be someone who can balance detailed technical work with big-picture strategic thinking, negotiate priorities effectively, and build robust systems. If you're seeking an entrepreneurial environment that values innovation and strong execution over corporate bureaucracy, you'll thrive here.

The company actively values collaboration, diversity, and community in the workplace, so if these principles resonate with you, Ampersand could be your ideal employer.

Compensation and Benefits

Ampersand offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including health insurance. While specific salary details aren't disclosed in the posting, the company is known for recognizing and rewarding talent appropriately.

The Bigger Picture: Your Impact

Working at Ampersand means more than writing code or fixing bugs. Every line of firmware you develop contributes to reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality in African cities, and helping hardworking taxi drivers earn better incomes for their families.

The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions globally, and motorcycle taxis represent a significant portion of urban transportation in East Africa. By helping electrify this fleet, you'd be directly contributing to climate change mitigation while supporting economic development.

How to Apply

If this opportunity excites you and you meet the qualifications, the timing is immediate. Ampersand is looking to fill this position as soon as possible. Don't miss your chance to be part of Africa's clean energy revolution.

Working in firmware engineering at a company like Ampersand offers the rare combination of technical challenge, meaningful impact, and career growth potential. You'll work alongside some of the brightest minds in East Africa, gain experience in IoT and embedded systems in a real-world application, and know that your work is making a tangible difference in people's lives and the planet's health.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY   

FOR APPLICATION SUPPORT CONTACT US HERE KANDA AHA

Final Thoughts

As technology continues to reshape industries worldwide, opportunities like this represent the future of work roles where innovation meets purpose, where technical excellence serves environmental sustainability, and where career advancement aligns with positive social impact.

Whether you're an experienced firmware engineer looking for your next challenge or a passionate developer ready to specialize in embedded systems, Ampersand offers an environment where you can grow, learn, and contribute to something bigger than yourself.

The question isn't whether electric mobility is the future; it's whether you'll be part of building that future. If you're ready to take on this challenge, Ampersand is ready to welcome you to their team.

Are you interested in learning more about careers in clean tech and firmware engineering? Follow our blog for more opportunities in Africa's growing tech ecosystem.