Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Medical

Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Greenfield Medical Device

Cambridge | Permanent | Competitive

If you’ve ever wanted your firmware to matter in a very real way, this is that role.

A Cambridge engineering team is building a new life‐sustaining wearable medical device from the ground up. The hardware platform already ships globally in high‐volume consumer products; now it’s being applied to a regulated medical device for the first time. They’re hiring one of the first Senior Embedded Software engineers to architect the software from a blank page.

Why this role stands out

Most senior embedded roles in medical are sustaining work on legacy products. This isn’t. The team is small, newly formed, and defining everything now: architecture, firmware standards, IEC 62304 lifecycle, testing strategy, toolchain, and development processes.

You get the rare combination of:

• A true greenfield mandate - set the architecture, coding standards, toolchain, and real‐time strategy
• Deep engineering support - established hardware, electronics, controls, and algorithms teams behind you

The device itself is demanding: closed‐loop sensing and actuation, dose‐critical safety logic, fault tolerance, multi‐year power budgets, IEC 60601, IEC 62304 Class C, and cybersecurity for connected delivery. If those constraints motivate you, you’ll thrive here.

What you’ll do

• Architect and develop embedded C (and some C++) on bare metal or a lightweight RTOS
• Lead technical decisions on firmware structure, standards, and tooling
• Establish an IEC 62304‐aligned development lifecycle (V‐model, traceability, verification, static analysis, unit testing)
• Work closely with hardware, systems, quality, and regulatory leads
• Contribute to ISO 14971 risk management and regulatory submission prep
• Mentor as the team grows (initially a hands‐on build phase)

What you’ll bring

• Several years of embedded firmware experience on a medical device that shipped under IEC 62304
• Strong embedded C and comfort with low‐power, real‐time, bare‐metal development
• Working knowledge of ISO 13485 and ISO 14971
• Confidence to set direction where process doesn’t yet exist
• A genuine interest in building medical technology that directly impacts patient safety

Nice to have

• Experience with medical devices, wearables, infusion/drug delivery, or closed‐loop therapy
• FDA 510(k)/De Novo or EU MDR experience
• Static analysis (MISRA, Coverity, Polyspace), unit testing frameworks, CI for embedded
• Cybersecurity for medical devices (FDA premarket, IEC 81001‐5‐1)
• Secure boot, OTA updates, cryptographic key management

The trade‐off

The compensation is competitive for Cambridge, but the real draw is the work: early influence on a greenfield medical device inside a stable, well‐resourced engineering organisation. If your motivation is to build something you’ll be proud to point to in five years, this is that opportunity.

Confidential conversations welcome.

Contact Cathy Swain for more information.