Principal Embedded Software Engineer - FPGA

The Principal Embedded Software Engineer (FPGA) is a technical leadership role responsible for architecting and guiding the development of complex FPGA-based and embedded software systems used in Software in a Medical Device (SiMD) products. This position serves as the technical authority for FPGA architecture, hardware/software co-design, and embedded platform development while ensuring alignment among stakeholder needs, system architecture, regulatory requirements, and product implementation. 

The role provides technical leadership across multiple product development programs and collaborates closely with Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Manufacturing, Product Management, and Project Management teams. The role ensures traceability from stakeholder needs through software requirements, implementation, verification, and risk control activities in accordance with design controls and the software development lifecycle.

What You Will Do

• Lead the architecture, design, implementation, integration, and verification of complex FPGA-based and embedded software systems for medical devices, including SoC and stand-alone FPGA architectures.
• Drive hardware/software partitioning, system-level architecture, and technical tradeoff decisions, translating user and system needs into software, FPGA, and subsystem design requirements. 
• Establish FPGA development and verification best practices, including coding standards, reusable test frameworks, self-checking testbenches, automated regression, coverage-driven verification, scripted workflows, automated builds, and Continuous Integration.
• Partner with Test Leads on establishing verification best practices, reusable test frameworks, self-checking test benches, and automated regression. 

• Lead complex FPGA design activities involving timing constraints, multiple clock domains, high-performance data paths, fixed-point arithmetic, real-time control, signal processing, and hardware/software interfaces. 
• Serve as a technical authority across development programs, leading architecture/design reviews, resolving complex technical issues, exploring emerging technologies, and developing reusable technology roadmaps.
• Ensure compliance with medical-device design controls, software lifecycle processes, risk management, traceability, and applicable regulatory standards, supporting regulatory submissions, audits, and QMS deliverables. 
• Lead the development and review of requirements, architecture, design, verification, risk management, and Design History File documentation, while coaching engineers on testable requirements, maintainability, and design for safety. 
• Provide cross-functional technical leadership from concept through commercialization, partnering with Systems, Electrical, Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Manufacturing, Product Management, and Project Management while mentoring engineers and incorporating customer and business needs into product development. 

What You Need (Required Qualifications) 

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related engineering discipline and 8+ years of relevant embedded software experience.  

• Experience developing embedded software and FPGA-based systems, including FPGA design, implementation, integration, and/or verification.  

• Experience with FPGA development languages and technologies, such as VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, SoC FPGA, or comparable FPGA platforms.  

• Experience leading or contributing to complex embedded product development, including architecture, requirements, system integration, and verification. 

• Experience developing embedded software and FPGA-based systems, including programming in C/C++ and FPGA design, implementation, integration, and/or verification. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s degree preferred in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. 

• Experience with FPGA development tools and platforms, including AMD/Xilinx Vivado and/or Intel Quartus.  

• Experience with embedded Linux and/or RTOS development, hardware/software co-design, and FPGA-based digital signal processing.  

• Knowledge of FPGA and embedded software verification, including simulation, static/dynamic analysis, coverage analysis, Git, automated builds, and CI/CD.  

• Experience with medical device or regulated product development, including requirements traceability, risk management, and standards such as IEC 62304, ISO 14971, and ISO 13485.  

$135,600 - $225,900 USD Annual