Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn’t work together.

So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality through Afterpay, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we’ve embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.

Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We’re building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.

Join Block's Hardware organization as a key member of the SQUID Platform Team, where your knowledge of embedded devices and how to tune and optimize their performance will contribute to building and enhancing the core OS that powers Square's Register and Terminal hardware products. Block takes pride in our product experience from manufacturing to end-customer experience, and this team works closely with partner teams throughout the hardware and software product lifecycle, from hardware manufacturing to the Android app teams. Your role will involve all stages of the product life cycle, from working with external vendors on part selection and initial hardware bring-up, to tuning our products for the best customer experience we can bring and contains an emphasis on customizing the OS to meet Square's advanced security requirements. You will report to the engineering manager for the Core OS Platform team.

You will:

• Lead projects aimed at evaluating and tuning performance of existing and future products and platform architecture across the Squid device ecosystem
• Perform system-wide performance analysis, identify bottlenecks and work with stakeholders to validate and resolve issues in our customer fleet
• Work closely with our Foundational and Quality partner teams to establish and enhance performance benchmark and testing protocols
• Work with multiple partners across the organization including product, program management, EE as well as other engineering teams
• Provide technical leadership and guidance in performance engineering best practices
• Collaborate with teammates during the software design process and participate in code reviews
• Mentor engineers and help cultivate their career aspirations

You have:

• 8+ years of development experience in embedded software projects, with a focus on performance tuning and optimization
• Expertise in driving results and gains in system-wide performance and ability to navigate across various multithreaded and multicore system layers and fundamentals eg. CPU/memory management, thermals, power management
• Knowledge of software profiling and performance analysis tools
• Experience with Linux/Android operating systems or kernel driver development
• Strong programming skills in languages such as C, C++, Java/Kotlin, knowledge of JNI is a bonus
• A passion for building and shipping hardware products

Nice to have:

• Experience debugging issues cross functionally, using a combination of software and lab equipment such as oscilloscopes and protocol analyzers
• Understanding of common communications protocols (e.g. SPI, UART, I2C, USB) and how to optimize them for speed and reliability
• Experience shipping consumer electronics products

Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Zone A: USD $198,000 - USD $297,000
Zone B: USD $188,100 - USD $282,100
Zone C: USD $178,200 - USD $267,400
Zone D: USD $168,300 - USD $252,500

To find a location’s zone designation, please refer to this resource. If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information. 

Full-time employee benefits include the following:

• Healthcare coverage (Medical, Vision and Dental insurance)
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Plans including company match 
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Wellness programs, including access to mental health, 1:1 financial planners, and a monthly wellness allowance 
• Paid parental and caregiving leave
• Paid time off (including 12 paid holidays)
• Paid sick leave (1 hour per 26 hours worked (max 80 hours per calendar year to the extent legally permissible) for non-exempt employees and covered by our Flexible Time Off policy for exempt employees) 
• Learning and Development resources
• Paid Life insurance, AD&D, and disability benefits 

These benefits are further detailed in Block's policies. This role is also eligible to participate in Block's equity plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies, and may be eligible for a sign-on bonus. Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a commission plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. 

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

Block will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances. Because the material duties of this role involve direct or indirect access to sensitive personal or financial data, a criminal background check is required following a contingent offer of employment.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral (formerly Square Crypto) builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, on average, U.S. open roles are posted for 70 days before being filled by a successful candidate.