Principal Firmware Engineer

Bring more to life.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology? 

At Cepheid, one of Danaher's 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we're all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.  

You'll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher's system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

At Cepheid, we are passionate about improving health care through fast, accurate, molecular diagnostic systems and tests. As a member of our team, you'll get to make an immediate, measurable impact on a global scale, within an environment that fosters career growth and development. Our mission drives us to develop groundbreaking solutions for the world's most complex health challenges. Together, we bring MORE change to the world.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Principal Firmware Engineer to serve as a technical cornerstone for our product development team. This is a senior, hands-on role for an expert who loves to solve the most challenging technical problems. You will be responsible for architecting, designing, and implementing robust firmware for our next-generation diagnostic devices. As a technical leader, you will mentor other engineers, drive best practices, and ensure our embedded systems are safe, effective, and compliant with all regulatory standards.

This position reports to the Director of Hardware Engineering and is part of the R&D – Firmware Engineering department, located in Bangalore, IDC, India, and will be based on-site.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• Architect and document real-time embedded firmware systems for Class II/III medical devices, including authoring design specifications and interface definitions in accordance with IEC 62304
• Develop and maintain production-grade C/C++ firmware for ARM-based microcontrollers, including implementation of low-level device drivers, UART/SPI/I2C communication protocols, and real-time control algorithms
• Ensure firmware development and documentation meet ISO 13485 and FDA 21 CFR 820 design control requirements, including traceability matrices, risk analysis inputs, and software lifecycle deliverables
• Lead firmware-hardware integration and system-level debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers, and diagnostic tools to resolve timing, signal integrity, and protocol issues
• Design and execute automated unit and integration tests using frameworks such as Unity or Ceedling, and support formal V&V activities in collaboration with QA and test engineering teams

The essential requirements of the job include:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field, with a minimum 15 years of hands-on experience in embedded systems and firmware development for resource-constrained environments, including bare-metal and RTOS-based implementations
• Demonstrated success in shipping firmware for at least one regulated diagnostic or medical device product, with direct experience in compliance with FDA or equivalent regulatory standards
• Proficiency in C and C++ programming for embedded applications, with documented use of microcontroller platforms such as ARM Cortex-M and integration of peripherals including ADC, DAC, Timers, and GPIO
• Applied experience developing firmware under IEC 62304, including traceability, risk management, and software lifecycle documentation
• Proven implementation of communication protocols including SPI, I2C, UART, USB, and Bluetooth/BLE in commercial embedded products

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:

• Experience developing bootloaders
• Familiarity with risk management practices (ISO 14971)
• Experience with embedded Linux
• Knowledge of cybersecurity principles for embedded devices
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills

Join our winning team today. Together, we'll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow's science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

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