Principal Firmware Engineer

HISTOSONICS INC • Plymouth, MN

77d

About The Position

HistoSonics is a medical device company, founded in 2009, that has developed a non-invasive, sonic beam therapy platform that uses histotripsy, which is capable of destroying targeted liver tumors. Our mission and passion are to advance the novel science of histotripsy and its powerful benefits, bringing meaningful and transformational change to physicians and their patients. The Principal Firmware Engineer will work with the HistoSonics team in the design, engineering, development and testing of the Company’s globally regulated clinical systems and serve as the engineering lead in the design and build of the Embedded Software related to the Company’s products. This role focuses on integrating ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers running bare metal or RTOS, ARM Cortex-A microprocessors running Embedded Linux, FPGAs, FPGA SoCs, and implementing high-performance communication protocols to support control, data acquisition, and signal processing across multiple channels. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in real-time embedded systems, medical device development, and cross-platform communication with PC-based applications.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in embedded firmware development, preferably in the medical device industry.
• Strong expertise in C/C++, RTOS, and Linux kernel/user-space development.
• Hands-on experience with FPGA SoC platforms (e.g., Xilinx Zynq, Intel SoC FPGAs).
• Proficient in communication protocols: EtherCAT, Modbus, SPI, I2C, UART, CAN.
• Experience with interfacing embedded systems with PC software, especially using C#/.NET.
• Familiarity with ultrasound systems, signal processing, or other high-speed analog/digital acquisition systems is a strong plus.
• Knowledge of medical device regulatory requirements and design controls.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Modbus and industrial Ethernet protocols (EtherCAT, Profinet Ethernet/IP, etc.).
• Hands-on experience with FPGA SoC platforms (e.g., Xilinx Zynq, Intel SoC FPGAs).
• Experience with Qt UI framework.
• Experience with Yocto Project or custom Linux builds for embedded systems.
• Exposure to cybersecurity in embedded medical systems.
• Experience with Agile development, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of embedded firmware for medical devices involving ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers, Embedded Linux in ARM Cortex-A microprocessors, and Embedded Linux in ARM Cortex-A cluster of FPGA SoC.
• Integrate and manage communication protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus, SPI, I2C, UART.
• Collaborate with FPGA engineers to define and implement firmware-FPGA interfaces for real-time data exchange.
• Interface with PC-based C# applications to enable bidirectional communication for control and data streaming.
• Ensure compliance with medical device standards (e.g., IEC 62304, ISO 13485) and participate in risk analysis and documentation.
• Drive system-level debugging, performance optimization, and validation of firmware in a regulated environment.
• Work with cross-functional teams (Product Development, Operations, Regulatory, Quality, Marketing) to scope software projects related to commercialized product changes and updates.
• Work with key stakeholders (cross-functional leadership) to determine appropriate priority of work related to commercialized product and product support, continuation, and service-related activities.
• Ensure that design documentation is in accordance with HistoSonics’ design control system (or external partner’s systems) and that all project deliverables are met.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical reviews, design documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid time off

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees