Lead Firmware Engineer (Medical Device & Connectivity)

Willow Innovations • Mountain View, CA

1d

About The Position

As our Lead Firmware Engineer, you will own the "brain" of our next-generation breast pump technology. This is a high-impact role where you will bridge the gap between complex motor control (crucial for comfort and efficacy) and seamless wireless connectivity. You will lead a small, agile team of engineers, guiding technical architecture while remaining hands-on in the codebase. You will ensure our products are not only innovative but meet the highest safety and regulatory standards for Class II medical devices.

Requirements

• Education: BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Firmware Expertise: 7+ years of experience in embedded C/C++. Experience with RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr) and bare-metal development.
• Medical Device Experience: Proven track record of shipping products under FDA/CE regulatory pathways. Understanding of risk management (ISO 14971) is a major plus.
• Connectivity: Deep experience with BLE stacks (STM32WBxxx series preferred) and mobile-to-device data synchronization.
• Cybersecurity Expertise: Proven experience implementing hardware-based security features (e.g., Secure Boot, TrustZone, Cryptographic Co-processors) and secure communication protocols (TLS/DTLS over BLE).
• Compliance Knowledge: Direct experience with FDA premarket cybersecurity guidance and the ability to map technical mitigations to identified cyber risks in a Traceability Matrix.
• Motor Control: Experience with PWM, PID loops, or BLDC motor control (essential for mimicking natural nursing patterns).
• Leadership: Experience leading technical projects or managing direct reports in a fast-paced startup environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with low-power optimization for battery-operated wearables.
• Familiarity with Over-the-Air (OTA) update implementation.
• A passion for women’s health and FemTech innovation.

Responsibilities

• Architecture & Development: Lead the design and implementation of firmware for our wearable breast pumps, focusing on motor control algorithms, power management, and sensor fusion.
• Connectivity: Architect and optimize BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication protocols to ensure rock-solid pairing between the device and our mobile application.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all firmware development follows IEC 62304 software lifecycle standards and supports ISO 13485 quality management systems.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of 2-4 firmware engineers. Conduct code reviews, manage sprints, and foster a culture of technical excellence.
• Hardware Abstraction: Work closely with the Electrical Engineering (EE) team on hardware bring-up, debugging, and component selection (MCUs, drivers, batteries).
• Testing & Validation: Develop automated test frameworks and unit tests to ensure 100% reliability in a mission-critical medical context.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level