R&D Engineer

SonicPrecision; Eindhoven; Hybrid; EUR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock Appreciation Rights

Direct mentoring with System Engineer

Salary reviewed annually

25 holiday days + 8% holiday allowance

Job summary

SonicPrecision, based in Eindhoven, is seeking a hands‑on R&D Engineer (junior to medior) to build a catheter prototype that integrates near‑field ultrasound sensing with ablation. You will help prove the concept through bench and pre‑clinical tests, preparing for First‑in‑Human studies.

You’ll work closely with founders and the System Engineer, own parts of the hardware and software stack, and gain rapid growth as the project advances toward clinical use.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or closely related discipline.
• 1–3 years in medical device development, research instrumentation, or hardware/embedded systems environment.
• Hands‑on across hardware, signal processing, and software integration; ability to wire a circuit, write acquisition code, and interpret ultrasound signals.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and test the prototype catheter system and testing infrastructure for bench and pre-clinical evaluation.
• Make design choices to enable a smooth transition to a clinical system, considering CE marking, sterilisation, and single‑use requirements.
• Develop and validate signal processing algorithms to extract tissue characterisation information from ultrasound data.
• Collaborate with external suppliers and contract manufacturers; coordinate with CARIM/MUMC+ on pre-clinical study setup.
• Contribute to ISO 13485 and IEC 62304 aligned documentation and engineering infrastructure.

Skills

Hardware development

Signal processing

Software integration

Python

MATLAB

C/C++

Education

Master's or PhD in electrical/biomedical/mechanical engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

C/C++

Job description

Building the sensor system that will go into patients’ hearts

Eindhoven, Netherlands Full-time Junior / Medior Start Q4 2026 Apply by 1 November 2026

THE PROBLEM WE ARE SOLVING

Every year, more than 100,000 patients in the US and Europe undergo catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia — a heart rhythm disorder that can be fatal. Most procedures happen without real-time tissue feedback: the electrophysiologist burns the tissue, ends the procedure, and hopes that the lesion has reached the source of the arrhythmia. In published studies, up to 50% of patients have the arrhythmia back within a year. That is the gap we are closing.

SonicPrecision is changing that. We integrate a near-field ultrasound sensor into the tip of the ablation catheter. The sensor shows the electrophysiologist what is happening inside the tissue while the procedure is still running. For the first time, the physician can confirm that a lesion is deep enough before ending the procedure.

We are a Philips spin-out, based in Eindhoven. We hold an exclusive, worldwide licence to the relevant Philips patent families covering near-field ultrasound sensing in ablation catheters. We are actively raising a €4M seed round, of which €1.5M is confirmed grant funding (so it does not dilute the company) from OP Zuid, Eurostars, and Brabant Startup Fonds. Our pre-clinical programme runs in partnership with CARIM at Maastricht University and TU Eindhoven. Our next inflection point is First-in-Human — the very first use of the device in patients.

ABOUT YOUR ROLE

We are looking for an R&D Engineer to build the physical system that makes First in Human studies possible — the catheter prototype integrating near-field ultrasound sensing with the ablation function and proving the concept in a pre-clinical setting, on the path to First-in-Human.

This is a junior to mid-level role for a hands‑on engineer who wants to take a medical device from the bench to the clinic. It is a good first or second engineering job: you will learn faster here than in a large company, because you own parts of the system from the start. You work directly with the founders and our System Engineer to build, integrate, and test the catheter prototype system — first on the bench, then in a pre‑clinical setting, then scaled toward First-in-Human.

You will be making design decisions that set the architecture of a system that will eventually enter patients. If that sounds exciting rather than scary, this is the right job for you.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Hardware and system development

• Design, build, and test the prototype catheter system and the testing infrastructure for evaluation on the bench and in pre‑clinical environments
• Make design choices at proof‑of‑concept stage that ensure the step to a clinical system (investigational device) is a scaling exercise, not a redesign: think ahead about CE marking, sterilisation, and single‑use requirements from the start
• Develop and validate signal processing algorithms to extract tissue characterisation information from the raw ultrasound data

Integration and external partners

• Collaborate with external suppliers and contract manufacturers in hardware, catheter integration, and electronics miniaturisation: translate requirements into supplier briefs and make sure they deliver what they promised, on time
• Work with CARIM / MUMC+ on the pre‑clinical study setup, ensuring the prototype system is ready for the animal lab environment and signal quality meets study endpoints
• Contribute to the technical programme alongside the System Engineer, Clinical Scientist, and Technical Project Lead — keeping your work‑stream visible and flagging blockers early

Documentation and regulatory readiness

• Structure technical documentation — requirements, specifications, design files, test reports, risk management — aligned with ISO 13485 and IEC 62304 from day one
• Contribute to building the engineering team and technical infrastructure as we scale toward FIH

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Education:Master’s or PhD in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related discipline
• Experience:1–3 years in medical device development, research instrumentation, or a related hardware / embedded systems environment; if you have just graduated and did a strong medtech graduation project, please apply
• Technical skills:Hands‑on across hardware, signal processing, and software integration — you can wire up a circuit, write acquisition code, and interpret an ultrasound signal in the same week; proficiency in Python, MATLAB, C / C++, or equivalent
• Domain affinity:Familiarity with medical devices, ISO 13485, IEC 62304, or catheter / minimally invasive device development is a clear advantage
• Communication:Able to write clearly and present confidently — to e.g. clinicians, regulators, and investors. Fluent in English.
• Mindset:You are comfortable working in an environment where not everything is defined yet, and you can decide what matters most and let the rest wait. You areenergised by working in a small team seeing your work directly reflected in the product.

OUR OFFER

• You personally build a device that goes into patients to improve their lives
• Stock Appreciation Rights — you share in the equity upside of the company you help build
• Direct mentoring and collaboration with our System Engineer: learn near‑field ultrasound sensing and catheter integration, the regulatory route from bench prototype to First‑in‑Human, and the commercial side at the same time
• A salary that matches your experience, reviewed every year
• 25 holiday days, the Dutch 8% holiday allowance, and a travel allowance
• Access to cutting‑edge technology and research facilities at TU/e and MUMC+
• Room to grow: a personal development plan for courses and training, and a role that grows as the company grows — early engineers here can grow into technical leads
• Access to cutting‑edge technology and research facilities at TU/e and MUMC+
• Room to grow: a personal development plan for courses and training, and a role that grows as the company grows — early engineers here can grow into technical leads

OUR CULTURE

• A flat working culture: no layers of management and no office politics.
• Direct, honest and respectful feedback is appreciated and in decisions the best argument wins
• A small, international team where your work is visible from week one. You do not need ten years of experience to be taken seriously here — and senior colleagues make time to coach you
• A 40-hour week in which results count, not hours logged
• Freedom in how you organise your work: flexible hours, and working from home on the days the lab and/or the clinic do not require your presence.
• Real ownership: you carry your own part of the programmeand fulfil your tasks with a high level of integrity
• Eindhoven and the Brainport region: one of the densest high‑tech areas in Europe and a young international crowd around TU/e

PRACTICAL DETAILS

• Location:Eindhoven — mostly on site, because you build hardware and the lab is where the work happens. On days when the lab does not need you, working from home is fine — in practice about one day a week
• Contract:Full‑time; a one‑year contract to start, with the clear intention to extend it
• Start date:As soon as possible; ideally Q4 2026
• Application deadline:1 November 2026; we review applications on a rolling basis
• Right to work:You must already have the right to work in the Netherlands; we are not able to act as a recognised sponsor at this stage