Manuel Herrera
Manel Herrera is an Embedded Engineering Manager with over 15 years of experience in embedded systems and firmware development, and a strong commitment to developing the next generation of engineers. Throughout his career, he has not only led engineering efforts for high-impact embedded products but has also invested deeply in mentoring, technical coaching, and talent formation within global engineering teams.
His leadership approach combines real-world firmware expertise with a learning-driven culture, creating environments where junior and mid-level engineers mature into confident system thinkers capable of designing, debugging, and optimizing complex embedded platforms. He has taught university courses in microcontroller architecture, operating systems, digital systems, and embedded development—experience that strongly influences his collaborative leadership style as an engineering manager.
Manel believes in hands-on growth: guiding engineers through bring-up sessions, BSP design, driver development, kernel debug, and architectural decision-making. Many engineers he has coached have advanced into technical lead and senior roles, contributing to a growing community of skilled embedded professionals.
Today, he leads distributed firmware engineering teams developing Linux-based and RTOS-based solutions for video systems, IoT controllers, building automation, and secure industrial devices. His mission is to build strong technical organizations by combining engineering rigor, shared knowledge, and continuous learning, ensuring both product excellence and professional growth for every engineer involved.
Beyond Code: The Skills That Accelerate Engineering Careers
Status: Coming up in April 2026!Technical mastery is essential for every embedded engineer, but in the corporate engineering landscape it is only one piece of the progression puzzle. Many talented engineers stagnate not because they lack technical skill, but because they fail to develop the complementary abilities that enable influence, visibility, trust, and leadership.
In this microtalk, I will distill key non-technical skills that accelerate career growth for embedded professionals:
- Communicating technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders.
- Building cross-functional relationships.
- Developing business awareness and understanding product impact.
- Proactively shaping engineering decisions.
- Mentoring others to scale your own knowledge.
I will share real examples from my journey leading global firmware teams, illustrating how engineers who cultivate these capabilities expand their impact, gain organizational recognition, and open doors to leadership roles. This talk aims to provide a concrete perspective on how to evolve from an excellent engineer into a high-value engineering leader in a corporate environment.