R&D Firmware Engineer

About Halter

At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations. Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional practices. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break? No quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle walking at their own pace. People say it looks like magic. Our customers are revolutionizing grazing with Halter. It's changing lives and transforming an industry. People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us you’ll be solving challenging problems within a talented team and a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, out-work and out-care. We’re committed to delivering real change in the world - this isn’t easy, and in truth, we love that it’s hard.

We’re backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, BOND, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.

To find out more, visit our LinkedIn & Instagram.

About the role

Virtual fencing is the heart of Halter. With over 750,000 collars online, it's how thousands of farmers manage their animals every single day. You'll be at the forefront of developing this technology; working on the problems that define what virtual fencing can do next.

This isn't a traditional firmware role. We need someone who can spin up quick builds to unlock testing, get out into the paddock to validate them with the cows, then take what they've learned and turn it into clean, production‑ready code that ships to the fleet.

You'll be based in Auckland, but you'll be spending serious time on our R&D farm in the Waikato. Testing your work means putting on your boots and getting out in the paddock. You'll also get into our backend services and analyse the data when you need to, to unblock yourself.

You'll work closely with the wider team; firmware engineers, software engineers, the data crew and farmy‑people, and we'll expect you to develop a genuine understanding of farming and cow behaviour. The best solutions come from people who deeply understand the challenge.

What you'll do

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• Spin up quick firmware builds to unlock real‑world testing, then take that learning and ship clean, production‑ready code to the fleet.

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• Get out into the paddock and test your own work; watching what happens and iterating on what you find.

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• Get into our backend and data when you need to; implementing end‑to‑end solutions and analysing the data to draw conclusions.

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• analysing Observing cows as they interact with the collar on our R&D farms or farms across NZ to understand challenges and validate solutions.

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• Collaborate closely with the team across firmware, hardware, software, and data to bring new virtual fencing capabilities to life.

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You'll be great if you

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• Know how to write modern C++ to deliver elegant performative code, but also know how to spin up quick builds.

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• Have experience with developing software for resource‑constrained environments.

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• Think in first principles. You can break down complex problems to their fundamentals and reason up from there to find the right solution.

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• Are genuinely excited to spend time on the farm. Not just willing, but excited.

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• Have a bias for action and a high tolerance for ambiguity. R&D means the path isn’t always clear, and you’re good at carving through that.

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• Care about the craft. Quick builds are fine; shipping rough code to 750,000 collars is not.

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• Don’t stay in your lane. You’re excited to get into the backend and analyse data, not just write firmware.

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Halter is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace — a place where we can each be ourselves and do the best work of our lives. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and under‑represented groups of candidates tend to only apply when they meet every requirement. If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily tick every requirement on this job description, please still get in touch and apply to Halter. We’d love to chat to see if you’ll be an epic fit!

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• Work that genuinely matters. Every now and again a company comes along that transforms an entire industry and leaves the world in a better place. Our team gets to be part of something truly meaningful, helping farmers improve their livelihoods, spend more time with their families, and build more sustainable operations.

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• Spectacular people solving hard problems. Our culture is designed for talented people to do work that changes lives. The team is filled with diverse, kind, and driven people who push each other to do their best work. You’ll be thrown into the deep end, tackling complex challenges and building something tangible that solves real problems.

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• You'll grow here. Autonomy, mastery, and learning define how we work. You’ll have the freedom to work on interesting problems, master new skills, and continuously develop yourself, both through your role and our $1,000 personal growth fund.

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• This isn’t easy, and we love that it’s hard. Working at Halter will be the most rewarding and the most challenging work of your life. We move fast, take bold bets, and work hard to reshape an entire industry. As one team member put it: "Joining Halter is a bit like strapping yourself to a rocket ship, but it's an epic journey to be a part of!"

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