Principal Software Engineer

Werfen; Bedford (MA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid vacation and sick leave

Job summary

Werfen is seeking a Principal Embedded Software Engineer in Bedford, MA, focusing on motion control and real-time firmware for microcontroller-based systems. You will collaborate closely with hardware engineers and drive low-level driver development, debugging, and optimization across RTOS and bare-metal environments.

Ideal candidates have 10+ years in related roles, strong communication, and experience bringing hardware/software together. Travel up to 5% is noted.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a technical field such as Engineering, Math, Physics or CS with substantial related experience.
• Requires strong written and oral communication skills and ability to work in a software team.
• Experience with software engineering tools and defect management.
• Experience operating instrumentation and debugging embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for motion control with microcontrollers.
• Develop software on bare-metal and RTOS-based systems with real-time constraints.
• Implement and optimize stepper motor control and sensor interfaces with deterministic loops.
• Create and maintain low-level drivers including DMA, ISRs, timers, GPIO, and peripherals.
• Architect and debug RTOS systems, handling task scheduling, synchronization, and memory usage.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to read schematics and perform board bring-up and debugging.

Skills

Motion control

Real-time embedded

Low-level firmware

RTOS development

Debugging hardware/software

Education

Bachelor's + 10y

Master's + 8y

Tools

DMA drivers

ISR design

Timer drivers

GPIO

Peripheral drivers

Job description

Werfen - Bedford - 180 Hartwell Road Bedford, Massachusetts 01730 United States

Country

United States

Shift

1st

About the Position

Introduction

Werfen

Werfen is a growing, family-owned, innovative company founded in 1966 in Barcelona, Spain. We are a worldwide leader in specialized diagnostics in the areas of Hemostasis, Acute Care Diagnostics, Transfusion, Autoimmunity, and Transplant. Through our Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) business line, we research, develop, and manufacture customized assays and biomaterials. We operate directly in 30 countries, and in more than 100 territories through distributors. Our Headquarters and Technology Centers are located in the US and Europe, and our workforce is more than 7,000 strong.

Our success comes from a specific focus in these rapidly evolving diagnostic areas, our commitment to customers, and our dedication to innovation and quality. We’re passionate about providing healthcare professionals the most valuable and complete solutions to improve hospital efficiency and enhance patient care.

Overview

Position Summary

Overview

We are seeking a Principal Embedded Software Engineerwith deep expertise in motion control systems, real-time embedded software, and low-level firmware development. This role focuses on designing, developing, and optimizing firmware for microcontroller-based systems that interface with motors, sensors, and real-time peripherals. The ideal candidate works comfortably at the boundary of hardware and software and has strong hands-on debugging skills.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmwarefor motion control systems using microcontrollers
• Develop software on bare-metal and RTOS-based systemswith strict real-time constraints
• Implement and optimize stepper motor control, sensor interfaces, and deterministic control loops
• Design and implement low-level drivers, including:
• DMA drivers
• Interrupt service routines (ISRs)
• Timer, GPIO, and peripheral drivers
• Architect and debug RTOS-based systems, including task scheduling, synchronization, memory usage, and ISR interactions
• Collaborate closely with hardware engineers to:
• Read and interpret schematics and datasheets
• Perform hardware bring-up and board-level debugging
• Interface with and debug embedded peripherals such as:
• Apply strong knowledge of computer architecture, including:
• CPU pipelines, cache behavior, memory hierarchies
• Microcontroller buses and peripheral architectures
• Perform advanced debugging using:
• JTAG-based debuggers
• Logic analyzers
• Optimize firmware for performance, reliability, and real-time determinism
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including design descriptions and test procedures
• Mentor junior engineers and participate in technical design and code reviews

Qualifications

Min Knowledge & Experience Required for the Position:

• Bachelor's Degree plus a minimum of 10 years of related experience or Master's Degree plus a minimum of 8 years of related experience or waiver based on experience. Degree should be in a technical discipline such as Chemistry, Math, Physics, Engineering, or Computer Science.
• Proficiency with a personal computer and software packages.
• Ability to administer software engineering tools; configuration management, requirements management, and defect management.
• Ability to operate instrumentation.
• Possesses strong written and oral communications skills.
• Ability to work in a team environment of software developersand testers.
• Proficient in code languages found in product development.

Skills & Capabilities:

• Proficiency with a personal computer and software packages
• Ability to administer software engineering tools; configuration management, requirements management, and defect management
• Ability to operate instrumentation
• Possesses strong written and oral communications skills
• Ability to work in a team environment of software developers and testers

Travel Requirements:

5% of time

Min Knowledge & Experience Required for the Position:

• Bachelor's Degree plus a minimum of 10 years of related experience or Master's Degree plus a minimum of 8 years of related experience or waiver based on experience. Degree should be in a technical discipline such as Chemistry, Math, Physics, Engineering, or Computer Science.
• Proficiency with a personal computer and software packages.
• Ability to administer software engineering tools; configuration management, requirements management, and defect management.
• Ability to operate instrumentation.
• Possesses strong written and oral communications skills.
• Ability to work in a team environment of software developersand testers.
• Proficient in code languages found in product development.

Skills & Capabilities:

• Proficiency with a personal computer and software packages
• Ability to administer software engineering tools; configuration management, requirements management, and defect management
• Ability to operate instrumentation
• Possesses strong written and oral communications skills
• Ability to work in a team environment of software developers and testers

Travel Requirements:

5% of time

The annual base salary range for this role is currently $165,000 to $200,000 range. Individual employee compensation will ultimately depend on factors including education, relevant experience, skillset, knowledge, and particular business needs.

This role is eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan retirement benefits with an employer match, as well as paid vacation and sick leave.Our sales roles are eligible for participation in a commission plan and our management,and select professional roles,are eligible for a performance-based bonus.

Werfen is an Equal Opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workplace. Werfen strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation based upon an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, mental/physical disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as defined by applicable state or federal law. If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the online application process, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

We operate directly in over 30 countries, and in more than 100 territories through distributors. Annual revenue is approximately $2 billion and more than 7,000 employees around the world comprise our Werfen team.