Lead Firmware Engineer (Medical Device & Connectivity)

Willow is a platform for products that help improve the lives and health of women. We are a mission-driven team of experienced inventors, mothers, and fathers dedicated to making a difference in women’s lives. The Willow™ Wearable Breast Pump, selected as one of TIME's 25 Best Inventions in 2017 and 2018 CES Innovation Award for Wearable Technologies, is the first solution in our platform.

About the Role

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 and seamless wireless connectivity. You will work closely with a small team of engineers, contributing to technical direction while staying 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.

Key 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.
• 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.
• Prototyping & Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers to bring new breast pump and maternal health prototypes to life, from early concept through functional validation.

Required Qualifications

• 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/or bare-metal development.
• Connectivity: Experience with BLE stacks and mobile-to-device data synchronization. STM32WBxxx series experience a plus.
• Motor Control: Familiarity with PWM or PID loops for motor control.
• Regulated Industry Experience: Proven experience shipping products in a regulated environment — medical devices (FDA/CE), aerospace, automotive (ISO 26262), or similar. Direct IEC 62304 / ISO 13485 experience is a strong plus but not required.
• Leadership: Experience leading technical projects or mentoring engineers in a fast-paced environment.

Bonus Points If You Have...

• Experience implementing hardware-based security features (e.g., Secure Boot, TrustZone, Cryptographic Co-processors).
• Experience with low-power optimization for battery-operated wearables.
• Familiarity with Over-the-Air (OTA) update implementation.
• Direct experience shipping Class II medical devices under FDA/CE pathways.
• A passion for women's health and FemTech innovation.

Location

This is a hybrid role based in Mountain View, CA. We expect 2–3 days per week on-site for hands-on hardware bring-up, lab debugging, and close collaboration with our engineering team. We aim for flexibility outside of those needs.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this role is $195,000–$220,000/year depending on experience, plus equity.

Full-time employees are eligible for:

• Competitive compensation and equity grants
• Medical, Dental, and Vision plans for you and your dependents, including FSA plans
• 401k
• Life Insurance, Long-term and short-term disability
• Flexible PTO
• 16 weeks fully paid parental leave
• Well-being bundle with multiple vendors

Willow is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, or Veteran status.