Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Job Title: Staff Software Engineer (Embedded)

Location: Hercules, CA (Hybrid)

Duration: Full Time/Contract

Job Description:

As a Staff Software Engineer, you will also provide technical leadership: mentoring junior engineers, driving best practices in code reviews and design discussions, and leading initiatives to modernize our software stack.

You’ll have the opportunity to introduce modern engineering practices (e.g. continuous integration/continuous delivery for embedded, and advanced testing frameworks.)

How You’ll Make An Impact:

· Develop Embedded Control Software: Design and implement the core C control software that drives automated lab instruments, handling everything from device initialization to high-level coordination of subsystems to error handling.

Orchestration & Scheduling:

· Develop and maintain scheduling and orchestration logic to coordinate instrument operations (e.g. sample handling, reagent dispensing, measurements) at high throughput (100 samples/hour).

· Ensure timed execution of workflows across multiple embedded controllers.

Error Handling & Recovery:

· Build robust error handling and fault recovery mechanisms.

· Anticipate error conditions (device faults, step loss, etc.) and implement recovery sequences that allow the instrument to safely continue or gracefully halt with minimal downtime.

Firmware/Hardware Integration:

· Interface with distributed firmware microcontroller boards over a CANopen bus (coordinating 10 boards).

· Maintain communication protocols and data models for commands/status and ensure reliable real-time messaging between the main software and firmware subsystems.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

· Work closely with systems engineering to align software with hardware design, with assay scientists to understand requirements, and with quality/regulatory teams to meet compliance and documentation standards.

· Coordinate integration activities and troubleshooting across mechanical, electronics, and assay domains.

· Technical Leadership & Mentoring:

· Mentor junior and mid-level software engineers by sharing best practices in embedded development, performing design and code reviews, and guiding problem solving.

· Lead architectural discussions and contribute to design documentation for new features and systems.

Lab work:

· Triaging and troubleshooting hardware/software integration issues, and providing expert technical guidance to cross-functional teams.

· Testing & Automation: Drive improvements in software quality by expanding integration testing and simulation.

· Lead the development of hardware simulation frameworks and automated test suites to validate instrument behavior in CI/CD pipelines.

· Champion the use of continuous integration, unit testing, and other modern DevOps practices to increase software reliability and maintainability.