Lead Firmware Engineer (Medical Device & Connectivity)

Willow is a platform for products that help improve the lives and health of women. We are a mission-driven team of experienced inventors, mothers, and fathers dedicated to making a difference in women’s lives. The Willow™ Wearable Breast Pump, selected as one of TIME's 25 Best Inventions in 2017 and 2018 CES Innovation Award for Wearable Technologies, is the first solution in our platform.

About the Role

As our Lead Firmware Engineer, you will own the "brain" of our next-generation breast pump technology. This is a high-impact role where you will bridge the gap between complex motor control (crucial for comfort and efficacy) and seamless wireless connectivity. You will lead a small, agile team of engineers, guiding technical architecture while remaining hands-on in the codebase.

You will ensure our products are not only innovative but meet the highest safety and regulatory standards for Class II medical devices.

Key Responsibilities

• Architecture & Development: Lead the design and implementation of firmware for our wearable breast pumps, focusing on motor control algorithms, power management, and sensor fusion.


• Connectivity: Architect and optimize BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication protocols to ensure rock-solid pairing between the device and our mobile application.


• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all firmware development follows IEC 62304 software lifecycle standards and supports ISO 13485 quality management systems.


• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of 2-4 firmware engineers. Conduct code reviews, manage sprints, and foster a culture of technical excellence.


• Hardware Abstraction: Work closely with the Electrical Engineering (EE) team on hardware bring-up, debugging, and component selection (MCUs, drivers, batteries).


• Testing & Validation: Develop automated test frameworks and unit tests to ensure 100% reliability in a mission-critical medical context.

Required Qualifications

• Education: BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.


• Firmware Expertise: 7+ years of experience in embedded C/C++. Experience with RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr) and bare-metal development.


• Medical Device Experience: Proven track record of shipping products under FDA/CE regulatory pathways. Understanding of risk management (ISO 14971) is a major plus.


• Connectivity: Deep experience with BLE stacks (STM32WBxxx series preferred) and mobile-to-device data synchronization.


• Cybersecurity Expertise: Proven experience implementing hardware-based security features (e.g., Secure Boot, TrustZone, Cryptographic Co-processors) and secure communication protocols (TLS/DTLS over BLE).


• Compliance Knowledge: Direct experience with FDA premarket cybersecurity guidance and the ability to map technical mitigations to identified cyber risks in a Traceability Matrix.


• Motor Control: Experience with PWM, PID loops, or BLDC motor control (essential for mimicking natural nursing patterns).


• Leadership: Experience leading technical projects or managing direct reports in a fast-paced startup environment.

Bonus Points If You Have...

• Experience with low-power optimization for battery-operated wearables.


• Familiarity with Over-the-Air (OTA) update implementation.


• A passion for women’s health and FemTech innovation.

Willow is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, or Veteran status.