Principal Embedded Software Engineer

About the role

Lexington Medical, Inc. is hiring a Principal Embedded Software Engineer to join our R&D team in Bedford, MA. This is a hands-on role where you will personally design, build, and integrate the embedded software for our surgical stapling platform. You will own the technical architecture and set the long-term direction for embedded systems while writing code, integrating drivers, and debugging at the hardware level. The role requires leadership by building, not just directing, as you work through hardware-software integration issues alongside electrical and mechanical engineers. You will operate under tight real-time, safety-critical constraints directly driving electromechanical subsystems where milliseconds and failure modes matter significantly.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Personally design, code, and integrate real-time embedded software for Lexington Medical's surgical stapling devices, maintaining hands-on implementation on ARM Cortex-M class microcontrollers.
• Lead software architecture decisions and technical trade-offs, defining the structure and long-term roadmap for the embedded platform across the product line.
• Drive the implementation and validation of low-level drivers, communication stacks, and control algorithms that interface directly with sensors and electromechanical components.
• Conduct deep hardware-software debugging in the lab, tracing execution, analyzing timing, and resolving issues that span firmware, electronics, and mechanics.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, and test engineering teams to align firmware behavior with system requirements and manufacturing processes.
• Establish coding standards, development practices, and quality processes that ensure safety, reliability, and maintainability for medical devices.
• Mentor junior engineers, review code, and elevate the overall engineering culture through knowledge sharing and constructive technical leadership.
• Participate in requirements analysis, verification planning, and validation activities to ensure firmware supports regulatory and clinical needs.
• Troubleshoot field issues by analyzing customer data, reproducing scenarios in the lab, and delivering robust firmware updates or mitigations.
• Contribute to toolchain improvements, automated test frameworks, and documentation that support scalable development and manufacturing readiness.
• Support compliance efforts by implementing firmware features and diagnostics that meet safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Engage with cross-functional stakeholders to align firmware capabilities with product strategy, market needs, and operational constraints.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of professional embedded software development experience on resource-constrained microcontrollers.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience with C or C++ for bare-metal and real-time embedded systems.
• Demonstrated history of shipping safety-critical medical device firmware through design, verification, and production phases.
• Strong understanding of real-time systems, interrupt-driven programming, and deterministic execution in constrained environments.
• Solid experience with hardware debugging techniques using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and single-step tools.
• Practical knowledge of communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, or similar used in medical devices.
• Familiarity with development tools including IDEs, debuggers, version control, and static analysis relevant to embedded workflows.
• Ability to read and interpret schematics, datasheets, and technical documentation to diagnose hardware and software interactions.
• Commitment to rigorous processes for testing, traceability, and documentation in a regulated environment.
• Willingness to work hands-on in a lab setting, often at the bench with hardware and firmware co-design challenges.
• Experience with risk management, failure mode analysis, and mitigation strategies aligned with medical device expectations.
• Willingness to occasionally work extended hours or weekends to meet critical project milestones as business needs require.

Nice to have

• Experience with ARM Cortex-M series microcontrollers and vendor development ecosystems.
• Knowledge of safety standards and design practices relevant to medical devices.
• Exposure to automated testing frameworks for embedded systems or continuous integration pipelines.
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes and test methods for high-volume medical devices.
• Background in surgical devices, stapling technology, or minimally invasive instrumentation.

Practical notes

This role is full-time and based in Bedford, MA, near Boston. The position may require occasional travel within the Boston area for hardware validation, supplier visits, or regulatory meetings. Employment is eligible for standard company benefits per company policy. The role involves hands-on work in lab environments with electromechanical systems and may require extended hours during critical development and debugging phases.