Sr Staff Engineer Instrument Architecture

Becton Dickinson; Milpitas (CA); Hybrid; USD 169,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site 4 days/week

Total Rewards program

Job summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to lead system architecture for complex life-science instruments. You will define requirements, drive interfaces, and coordinate verification across optical, fluidic, electronic, and software subsystems.

The role requires deep RTOS and real-time control expertise, with a focus on robust data pipelines and rigorous design reviews. Thishybrid position involves on-site collaboration in Milpitas, CA, with a strong emphasis on

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related discipline. Master’s or PhD preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years in systems engineering, product development or design.
• Experience in design control in a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Define System Architecture with ICDs and block diagrams.
• Manage Subsystem Interactions across optical, fluidic, electronic, mechanical and software.
• Architect System Control and real-time coordination across modules.
• Design End-to-End Data Flow from sensors to software layer.
• Lead Sub-Systems budget for optical power, SNR and fluidic timing.
• Conduct performance modeling for throughput and sensitivity.
• Drive trade-off decisions between resolution, speed, and cost.
• Own end-to-end requirements lifecycle and verification planning.
• Lead Design and Technical Reviews with cross-functional teams.

Skills

System architecture

RTOS

Real-time control

Data pipelines

Hardware-software handshakes

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related

Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

RS232

USB

TCP/IP

CAN bus

SPI

I2C

PCIe

Job description

As a result of the combination of the BD Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions business with Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT), by applying to this role, you will be applying for a position with Waters. Waters is a global leader in life sciences, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, Waters’ innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across biology, chemistry, and physics. Waters collaborates with analytical laboratories around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, assure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combatting growing antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, Waters’ passionate team of approximately 16,000 colleagues partner with customers to turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide. We are the people who give possibilities purpose BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Advancing the world of health™ is our Purpose, and it’s no small feat. It takes the imagination and passion of all of us—from design and engineering to the manufacturing and marketing of our billions of MedTech products per year—to look at the impossible and find transformative solutions that turn dreams into possibilities.

Job Description Job Summary

The Senior Staff Engineer works closely with Marketing, HW, SW, Reagents and Verification & Validation to lead complex life science products through every stage of the development. Understand customer needs and workflows, systems architecture and analysis, and how the different sub-systems will fit and interact to meet the desired customer function and experience. The Senior Staff Engineer is responsible for the definition and management of requirements, definition of product architecture, guiding characterization of prototype systems, and successful Verification and Validation. The Senior Staff Engineer takes responsibility of systems definition and its documentation. This includes ultimate responsibility of system requirements and definition of systems architectures, device drivers, interfaces and communication protocols. The Senior Staff Engineer works with the engineering staff to develop and execute experimental protocols followed by the analysis and reporting of results. The Senior Staff Engineer also participates in the integration of systems components. Additionally, the Senior Staff Engineer supports system level engineering verification efforts and supports the planning of validation test activities. The expectation is to leverage experience as well as best practices, and methods to determine root cause of complex issues. The Sr. Staff engineer is expected to help grow the capabilities of the team through their example setting and mentorship to teammates.

Job Responsibilities

• Define System Architecture: Author comprehensive system-level specifications, interface control documents (ICDs), and functional block diagrams.
• Manage Subsystem Interactions: Map and optimize the optical, fluidic, electronic, mechanical, and software interfaces to prevent performance bottlenecks.
• Architect System Control & Real-Time Coordination: Architect System Control design, Design state machines, control loops, and timing sequences that orchestrate real-time hardware interactions across fluidic, optical, and electronic modules.
• Design End-to-End Data Flow Architecture: Map high-bandwidth data pathways from raw analog detector signals through digitization, FPGA-based processing, firmware buffers, and high speed transport layers up to the software application layer.
• Lead Sub-Systems Budget Allocation: Define and manage system-level budgets for optical power, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), fluidic timing, and electrical power consumption.
• Conduct Performance Modeling: Build mathematical models to simulate system throughput, carryover, fluorophore spillover, and sensitivity.
• Drive Trade-off Decisions: Balance competing requirements between resolution speed, laser power, mechanical footprint, and manufacturing cost.
• Own the end-to-end requirements lifecycle including user needs, system requirements, derived requirements, traceability, verification planning, and change management for a program.
• Be primary stakeholder in Design and Technical Reviews to practice sound decision making across the program Work effectively and collaboratively in a cross functional team and with external partners to identify, communicate, and mitigate program needs at each product lifecycle.

Education, Knowledge and Experience

• System Control & Embedded Logic: Deep understanding of real-time operating systems (RTOS), deterministic control loops, hardware-software handshakes, state machine design, and communication protocols (e.g., RS232, USB, TCP/IP, CAN bus, SPI, I2C).
• Data Pipeline Architecture: Expert knowledge of high-throughput data processing architectures, including DMA (Direct Memory Access) transfers, FIFO buffering strategies, and high-speed bus interfaces (PCIe, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet).
• Fluidic Dynamics: Understanding of hydrodynamic focusing, laminar flow, microfluidics, acoustic focusing, and high-pressure sample delivery loops.
• Precision Optics: Solid understanding of multi-laser excitation paths, beam shaping, dichroic filter design, and light collection geometry (forward/side scatter).
• High-Speed Electronics & Detectors: Practical knowledge of Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs), Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs), Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs), and FPGA-based digital signal processing (DSP).
• Biophysics & Reagents: Understanding of fluorophore excitation/emission profiles, antibody staining dynamics, and biological assay requirements.
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related discipline, e.g. Physics, Biomedical, Electronics, Computer Engineering or Mechanical engineering. Master’s degree or PhD preferred. Minimum of 12 years of experience in systems engineering, product development, or product design. Experience in design control in a regulated environment. Familiarity with regulations and compliance testing is desired.

Physical Demands

Role involves hands-on assembly, integration and rework of complex hardware instruments including fluid handling, optics, motion control, electronics and cabling.

Work Environment

Hybrid position. Will require on-site and in lab work a minimum of 4 days/week. At BD, we prioritize on-site collaboration because we believe it fosters creativity, innovation, and effective problem-solving, which are essential in the fast-paced healthcare industry. For most roles, we require a minimum of 4 days of in-office presence per week to maintain our culture of excellence and ensure smooth operations, while also recognizing the importance of flexibility and work-life balance. For certain roles at BD, employment is contingent upon the Company’s receipt of sufficient proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In some locations, testing for COVID-19 may be available and/or required. Consistent with BD’s Workplace Accommodations Policy, requests for accommodation will be considered pursuant to applicable law.

Why Join Us?

To find purpose in the possibilities, we need people who can see the bigger picture, who understand the human story that underpins everything we do. We welcome people with the imagination and drive to help us reinvent the future of healthcare. At BD, you’ll discover a culture in which you can learn, grow and thrive. We believe that when people connect in person, we learn faster, collaborate more deeply, and build a stronger culture. Join us and enjoy a culture where face-to-face collaboration supports your learning, your progress, and your success. To learn more about BD visit https://bd.com/careers.

Becton, Dickinson and Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

Primary Work Location USA CA - Milpitas 155 Additional Locations Work Shift

At BD, we reward, support and develop our associates through our comprehensive Total Rewards program. We are committed to attracting and retaining high quality talent by providing reward and recognition opportunities that promote a performance-based culture, as well as a competitive package of compensation and benefits programs. You can learn more on our career site under "Our Commitment to You." Our salary or hourly rate ranges reward associates fairly and competitively. We regularly review these ranges and factors, such as location, contribute to the range displayed. Our pay is based on the role and the necessary skills and education to perform it successfully. The salary or hourly pay ranges are influenced by labor laws and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) requirements applicable to the work location which may also affect the workplace arrangement of the role.

Salary Range Information $168,600.00 - $269,800.00 USD Annual

We are the #MakersofPossible Working together, we make products that patients, families and their healthcare professionals rely on. We do this because we are committed to advancing the world of health™. But it takes the imagination and passion of all of us at BD, from manufacturing to marketing, to look at the impossible and find solutions that turn dreams into possibilities with real-life health benefits for people today, tomorrow and beyond. We make this happen, together. We are the makers of possible. Becton, Dickinson and Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital or domestic or civil union status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, disability, military eligibility or veteran status, and other legally-protected characteristics.