Staff Software Engineer

The Opportunity

Quidel Ortho unites the strengths of Quidel Corporation and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, creating a world-leading in vitro diagnostics company with award-winning expertise in immunoassay and molecular testing, clinical chemistry and transfusion medicine. We are more than 6,000 strong and do business in over 130 countries, providing answers with fast, accurate and consistent testing where and when they are needed most – home to hospital, lab to clinic.

At Quidel Ortho, we’re advancing the power of diagnostics for a healthier future for all. Join our mission as our next Staff Software Engineer, Embedded Systems, to support our R&D Software Engineering team in the design and development of next-generation diagnostic platforms. This role provides technical leadership across requirements definition, software architecture, detailed design, implementation, and integration of high-quality embedded software.

The position is expected to drive the successful design, documentation, and delivery of application-level embedded software across real-time environments and hardware platforms (e.g., microcontrollers and SoCs), while collaborating cross-functionally to ensure technical quality, compliance, and product readiness.

This position is remote eligible but candidates local to San Diego, CA are highly desirable.

• Lead the design of software components and subsystems in alignment with system requirements and architecture
• Lead and influence computing and software architecture decisions across projects and cross-functional teams
• Develop and review code to implement new functionality, enhance existing capabilities, and uphold software quality standards
• Provide level-of-effort estimates, technical input, and risk identification to support planning and delivery commitments
• Gather and document software requirements and specifications
• Implement unit test to meet coverage goals
• Fix defects found during implementation process or reported by the software test team
• Lead complex system integration, debugging, and root-cause analysis across hardware, firmware, and software boundaries
• Drive software process definition and continuous improvement initiatives to improve quality, efficiency, and compliance
• Support and help coordinate release readiness activities, including technical review, defect resolution, and cross-functional alignment
• Perform other work-related duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Software Engineering or Computer Science or related field
• 10 years of related experience as a software engineer designing and supporting development of complex embedded systems
• Expert-level programming skills in C/C++
• Repository experience such as Git or SVN
• Experience developing in Linux-based environments
• Experience working on a development team using Agile processes
• Strong knowledge of object-oriented design principles and software design patterns
• Experience developing software for low-power systems across multiple processor architectures (e.g., x86, ARM)
• Experience debugging embedded code
• Able to take complex designs from concept to implementation with minimal supervision
• Experience estimating, planning, and sequencing software development work
• Experience eliciting, documenting, and reviewing software requirements and use cases
• Demonstrates commitment to the development, implementation, and effectiveness of the Quidel Ortho Quality Management System in accordance with ISO, FDA, and other applicable regulatory requirements
• Ability to travel 5% or less, domestically, if working remotely.

• 5 years of experience with software development for medical devices or another regulated industry
• Familiarity with regulated software development standards and practices (for example, IEC 62304, ISO 13485, and software design controls)
• Experience with Qt and QML
• Experience with CI/CD
• Experience with secure software development practices, dependency management, and product cybersecurity considerations
• Experience with Yocto
• Experience using AI-assisted software development tools to improve engineering productivity and code quality
• Experience using different inter-processor and…