Principal Firmware Engineer

Axoft • Cambridge, MA

6d

About The Position

Axoft is building the most advanced infrastructure for implantable brain-machine interfaces. Our mission is to enable long-term stable and ultra-high bandwidth communication with the brain, opening new therapies and treatments against neurological disorders and physical disabilities. We have bridged the gap between electronic and biological materials to create the softest, nanofabricated brain implants in the world.
We are seeking a Principal Embedded Systems Engineer to lead the architecture, development, verification, and lifecycle ownership of safety critical firmware for an implantable device. You will be the technical authority for low-power, resource-constrained embedded software, driving system performance, safety, and reliability from concept through clinical-grade product release. This is a senior integrated circuit engineering role where you’ll set technical direction, mentor peers, and collaborate across hardware, systems, quality, and regulatory.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (PhD preferred).
• 5+ years of firmware engineering experience, including work on safety-critical or similarly regulated systems (e.g. medical devices, aerospace).
• Proven ability to architect, design, implement, and maintain firmware across the full product lifecycle.
• Experience setting up and maintaining embedded toolchains, build systems, CI, and debugging environments (JTAG/SWD).
• Demonstrated expertise developing compliant firmware aligned with regulatory and quality requirements.
• Familiarity with IEC 62304, ISO 14971, ISO 13485, and design controls supporting FDA and CE submissions.
• Experience with complex SoCs and Applications processors such as Xilinx Zynq, NXP i.MX, or similar heterogeneous platforms.
• Strong track record producing clear, auditable documentation (requirements, design, tests, risk mitigations).
• Technical leadership experience; able to mentor and influence teams without direct line management.
• Expert proficiency in C/C++ and modern firmware development practices.
• Strong understanding of real-time systems, concurrency, and resource-constrained design.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills; able to drive cross-functional technical decisions.

Nice To Haves

• Embedded Linux development experience in C/C++; HDL experience (e.g., Verilog) a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own firmware architecture & implementation.
• Define system interfaces for embedded hardware components (e.g., data storage and transmission).
• Design for safety & reliability.
• Establish and execute on verification strategy.
• System bring‑up & debugging.
• Real‑time data handling.
• Cybersecurity by design.
• Regulatory-grade documentation.
• Cross-functional leadership: collaborate with hardware, systems, clinical, QA/RA to make risk-informed tradeoffs, plan experiments, and unblock program milestones.

Benefits

• An opportunity to work with a team of experts on one of the most exciting problems in the world and change lives.
• Career growth opportunities that fit your potential.
• Comprehensive benefits plan including health and dental insurance; parental leave.
• Flexible paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees