Kacper Kowalski-Senior Embedded Software Engineer / Lead Contributor
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Experience
Author
Seqnaut and Sycosm (WIP) – Embedded Audio DSP & Synthesis Platform
- Embedded audio DSP framework — synthesizers, effects, drum machines; modular audio graph
- Sequencing: PianoRoll, StepGrid, MasterClock; 8-voice polyphonic synth; CLI + OSC
- Transient Detector — dual-envelope adaptive threshold, guitar attack detection
- Hardware: Teensy 4.1, custom AFE design tapping BOSS GX-100; MIDI FX integration
Label: C++23, C, Python, CMake, FreeRTOS, Teensy 4.1 (ARM Cortex-M7), Teensy Audio (Stoffregen), DaisySP, I2S/SAI, OSC, MIDI
Lead Embedded Software Developer – SIL2 Safe Human Detection System
- Drove firmware architecture for a multi-platform SIL2 safety-critical human detection system combining mmWave radar, thermal imaging, and human detection algorithm
- Designed modular CMake-based build infrastructure with cross-compilation toolchains; established unified testing infrastructure (Unity + Catch2)
- Developed safety-critical communication modules (OSSD, FSI, RS485 ring protocol); ported firmware across evaluation boards and production hardware
- Acted as primary code reviewer, guiding architectural decisions; coordinated with hardware teams; onboarded new team members
Label: C++17, C, Python, FreeRTOS, CMake, ARM Cortex-R5F, AM64x, AM263Px, IWR6843, TI MCU+ SDK, TI mmWave SDK, Unity, Catch2, Nanopb, Protobuf, OpenCV, FSI, RS485, Docker
Senior C++ / Build Systems Engineer – Build & Toolchain Optimization
Autokroma
- Optimized a large-scale C++ / CMake build system, reducing compilation times across local and CI environments
- Refactored CMake configuration using target-based design and improved dependency hygiene
- Analyzed build performance using ccache, vcperf, and pytracing
Label: C++, CMake, Ninja, ccache, vcperf, pytracing, Windows, CI/CD
IoT Firmware Engineer
Sensorsuite – Container Monitoring Device
Label: C++20, ESP32, FreeRTOS, LoRaWAN, Satellite, CAN Bus, GNSS, NFC/RFID, Docker, GitHub Actions
Author – LLVM-based Refactoring Toolset
Tsepepe & TsepepeVim
- C++ refactoring tool built on LLVM/libclang: automated function definition generation, header/source pairing, interface scaffolding
- TsepepeVim: Vim plugin frontend for Tsepepe
Label: C++, LLVM, libclang, CMake, Vim script
Contributor
LLVM / clangd Contributions Code Actions for C/C++ in clangd
Embedded Linux / Video Engineer
- Implemented RTSP streaming (Live555) and H.265/HEVC hardware encoding via Xilinx VCU
- SDI video capture and RAW recording using mmap; low-level YUV/RGB format handling
Label: C++, CMake, Xilinx VCU, H.265/HEVC, Live555, RTSP, SDI, OpenSSL, mmap, Embedded Linux
Embedded Software Engineer
Industrial Cleaning Robot
Label: C, C++20, FreeRTOS, ARM Cortex-M4, CMake, Docker, GitLab CI, SonarQube, Google Test
Author & Maintainer
Portable Bitfields
- Modern C++ bitfield abstraction library with correctness, portability, and compile-time guarantees
- Ongoing maintenance and community contributions
Label: C++20, CMake
Embedded Firmware Engineer – Freelance
- Designed full firmware in C++20 on ARM Cortex-M4 with FreeRTOS and LTE-M connectivity
- Cloud communication via MQTT, LwM2M/CoAP, TLS; implemented secure bootloader and OTA update
- Drivers for NFC (TRF7970A), barcode scanner, proximity sensors, battery fuel gauge
Label: C++20, C11, FreeRTOS, ARM Cortex-M4, CMake, LTE-M (u-blox SARA-R422S), MQTT, TLS/SSL, I2C, SPI, UART, USB CDC, GDB, Unity, Catch2
Embedded C++ Engineer
OpenCV on Microcontroller
Label: C++17, OpenCV, STM32Cube, ARM Cortex-M, CMake
Senior Embedded Software Engineer – Freelance (B2B)
Self-employed
Primary long-term consulting partner: HalReady GmbH (2023 – present), a German company delivering industrial safety and sensing solutions. Engaged across multiple customer projects. Additional direct freelance contracts alongside.
Author & Maintainer
LlvmCrossCompileArmCortexM
- Cross-compiled LLVM libraries (compiler-rt, libc++, libc++abi, libunwind) for bare-metal ARM Cortex-M targets
- Pre-built packages for Cortex-M0/M0+/M3/M4/M7/M23/M33/M55; multiple FPU and exception configurations
- Alternative to ARM GNU Toolchain for LLVM-based embedded development
Label: CMake, LLVM, Clang, ARM Cortex-M, Newlib, Cross-compilation
Embedded Software Developer
Mittemitte GmbH
Label: C, Make, Qualcomm QCA4020, AWS IoT SDK
Embedded Firmware Engineer – Freelance
- Designed and implemented full end-to-end system: Embedded Linux Gateway (Raspberry Pi) managing a fleet of BLE-controlled Epaper Label devices in a one-to-many topology
- Gateway bridges labels to cloud via MQTT; each label (nRF52840, bare-metal) supports full remote display content control over BLE
Label: C++17, Bare-metal, CMake, BLE, nRF52840, Python3, Raspberry Pi, MQTT
Author
Jeff – Guitar Effect DSP guitar pedal; CMake test automation for signal validation
Embedded Software Developer
HUM Systems GmbH
Label: ESP32, C++17, FreeRTOS, ESP-IDF, CMake, MQTT, TLS
Author & Maintainer
JunglesOsHelpers FreeRTOS helpers library; CMake FetchContent integration
Software Design Engineer
Etteplan Poland (Kapsch Trafficom)
- Firmware for On-Board Units for DSRC and GNSS Electronic Toll Collection in a Scrum team
- Maintained the build ecosystem; wrote manual and automated test cases
Label: C++14, CoAP, DTLS, LwM2M, FreeRTOS, Python3, GitLab CI/CD, Docker, Robot Framework, CMake
IoT Engineer
Lerta
Label: C++17, C, FreeRTOS, NB-IoT, ZigBee, CoAP, MQTT, Buildroot, Jenkins, Docker
Co-author
Aura Weather Station Precision agriculture IoT; NB-IoT, CoAP, STM32L4
Junior Embedded Developer
Novamedia Innovision
Label: C, C++14, FreeRTOS, VoIP, PoE, CMake, Buildroot
Radiocommunication Specialist
TELE-COM
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Experienced in Information Technology, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Telecommunication, Automotive, and Transportation.
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Experienced in Information Technology, Product Development, Research and Development, Quality Assurance, and Operations.
Summary
Senior embedded software engineer with deep expertise in modern C++, CMake-based build systems, RTOS architectures, and MCU firmware development. Delivered complex freelance projects end-to-end across resource-constrained MCUs and Embedded Linux — from SIL2 safety-critical systems to IoT connectivity and audio DSP. Strong focus on correctness, maintainability, and clean architecture.
Skills
- Languages: C, C++, Python, Bash
- Safety-Critical: Sil1, Sil2, Ossd
- Mcu / Platforms: Arm Cortex-M/R, Arm Cortex-A, Esp32, Ti Am64x / Am263px, Iwr6843, Stm32, Nrf52840, Atmel Sam, Nxp I.Mx Rt, Nxp Lpc
- Embedded: Freertos, Bare-Metal, Esp-Idf, Embedded Linux, Yocto, Buildroot
- Build Systems: Cmake, Ninja, Make, Platformio
- Toolchains: Arm Gnu Toolchain, Llvm/Clang
- Network: Mqtt, Coap, Lwm2m, Rtsp, Http, Raw Tcp, Raw Udp, Tls, Dtls
- Peripherals: Can, Fsi, Rs485, I2c, Spi, Uart, Usb, Adc, Dac
- Wireless: Ble, Lorawan, Nb-Iot, Lte-M, Zigbee, Wifi, Nfc
- Audio / Dsp: I2s/Sai, Midi, Osc
- Testing: Unity, Catch2, Google Test, Robot Framework
- Ci/Cd: Github Actions, Gitlab Ci, Docker
- Debugging: Gdb, Openocd
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