Our Mission

SPAN is enabling electrification for all ⚡

SPAN is mission-driven to design, build, and deploy products that electrify our built environment, decarbonize our world, and slow the effects of climate change.

• Decarbonization is the process to reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, from entering our atmosphere.

• Electrification is the process of replacing fossil fuel appliances that run on gas or oil with all-electric upgrades for a cleaner way to power our lives.

The Role

As an intern on the Device Software team you will work with Span’s full time engineers to solve complex technical challenges directly related to our hardware products. The Device Software team is responsible for all of the software running physically in our products, from simple 8-bit microcontrollers up through embedded Linux computers, as well as the internal tooling to support and improve them. We do this in a collaborative environment so expect to be given independence to work on complex tasks on your own, and the support to learn what you need to execute on them successfully.

The Team

SPAN’s Device Software team is responsible for all of the software that is physically embodied in our hardware products. Our first product - the SPAN Panel - contains a complex network of microcontrollers and a single board computer that must work together to react quickly to changing conditions with impeccable reliability in order to perform its job. We look for friendly, excellent engineers who enjoy working with their peers to solve complex problems and prioritize trusting that the people we hire are capable of great things when well supported. Engineers work directly with the broader software, product, and hardware teams to ensure the right things get built at the right time.

The Role and Representative Projects

During a typical internship on the SPAN Device Software team you might expect to work on projects such as

• Writing a profiling library that allows us to measure request/response latency to the various tasks in our main microcontroller

• Writing a tool in Python to help the systems team explore the communication protocol of a new solar inverter

• Learn Rust, and improve user-facing features in our Linux Gateway

• Characterizing the (mis)behavior of various solar equipment in our lab using a logic analyzer or Wireshark to nail down subtle protocol issues

About You

Required Qualifications

We are seeking a candidate who

• Is working towards a BS or MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field

• Is excited to learn and grow in a cooperative team environment, working on robust solutions to complex problems

• Has experience writing software in one or more of C, C++, Python, or Rust, with well established computer science fundamentals and experience with modern development processes

• Is interested in writing application-level software that runs on a hardware device (in Linux and/or on a microcontroller)

Bonus Qualifications

We do not expect any engineer to have every skill, but we do want you to be excited to learn. Every Device Software Engineer is free to roam up and down our device software stack, so any combination of the following skills is welcome but not required.

• Deep experience with C, especially memory management, pointers, and concurrency

• Exposure to real time operating systems (especially FreeRTOS) or low-level systems programming in general

• Familiarity with a higher level language like Python/C++/Java/Rust/Go/etc and Object Oriented design

• Wireless technologies like WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa, Matter, or Zigbee

• Experience with home automation and web technologies like Home Assistant and MQTT

• Experience being hands-on with electronics lab equipment

The Internship position has a duration of 12 weeks and will start in May or June of 2024. Candidates must be enrolled in an accredited college or university, and have not graduated prior to end of the Internship term.

The hourly rate for this role is $32/ hour for undergrad students, and $35/hr for Masters or PhD students.

Life at SPAN

SPAN embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.

Headquartered in San Francisco’s vibrant SoMa neighborhood, we are an eclectic group of creative thinkers who value open communication, teamwork, and a ‘make it happen’ approach to addressing complex challenges.

We’re hiring talented individuals who are driven by success and are passionate about shaping the future of renewable energy. If that sounds like you, we’d love for you to consider joining the rapidly growing team at SPAN.

The Perks:

⚡ Great opportunity to begin your career at a mission driven climate focused company

⚡ Competitive compensation at a well-funded, venture-backed company

⚡ Comfortable, sunny office space located near BART and Caltrain public transit

⚡ Strong focus on team-building and company culture (events, meet-ups, clubs)

Interested in joining our team? Submit an application today and we’ll be in touch with next steps!